9384/Time For A Proper Introduction

From Heroes Assemble MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Time For A Proper Introduction
Date of Scene: 31 December 2021
Location: Sara and Cael's apartment
Synopsis: No description
Cast of Characters: Sara Pezzini, Johnny Blaze, Cael Becker




Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara was not a good cook. If it came in a box with instructions or was breakfast type foods, she could make it, other wise, not so much. Tonight she ordered pizza from her favorite pizza place, made sure there was sodas to go with her, added some cheesy breadsticks with marinara, and told them to make the deliver around seven, so she was certain it would be hot when Johnny was there. Cold pizza was alright, warm was better.

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny was currently spending the pre-New Years festivities largely by himself.

A bar does wonders for the soul. He didn't have his cross anymore, he left it at St. Patricks as an offering to God before...well, before the Host invades New York thousands strong. He was nursing a strong whiskey when his phone started to buzz, and he checks his cell and sees Pezzini's number.

He answers the phone, and after a short chat with her, Johnny leaves the bar after paying his tab.

He hops onto his motorcycle and drives the roughly 20-minute drive to get over to her place. If he didn't know any better, he's managed to meet someone who actually enjoys his company. A rare sight these days. Though unaware that Sara was going to be making food, there's a knock on her door.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The coffee was just getting done, so Sara was in the kitchen when the knock came. Stepping out she checks through the spy hole then unlocks all the locks to open the door, and steps back.

"Come on in," she offered, making sure there was room for him to get by. "Pizza will be here in like five minutes, coffee just finished." No, she's not perky, she just seems more settled than she had been. "Make yourself at home. Would you like a beer or some of the coffee? Also have some coke and rootbeer in the fridge."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny waits in front of the door, half-expecting to be shot because believe it or not? That -has- totally happened before. Johnny looked through a eyehole once and he got shoot straight through his shoulder. Went full Ghost Rider then drove himself over to a hospital. Yeah...not fun. But when the door unlocks, JOhnny gives her a smile. "Hey Five-O."

Cop lingo. Its fun.

and given permission to enter, Johnny steps through the threshold into her space. He gives a nod to her. "Really? You didn't have to order pizza. I appreciate it." Hell, he might crash on her couch this time around, JOhnny's looking a little bit tired. "I'll take some coffee this time around, or I'm gonna passout and you'll be dropping a bucket of water on me in the morning." he smirks.

"But for now, coffee. How've you been, Sara?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Closing the door behind him, Sara relocks everything with a grin. Five-O, like she hadn't heard that a million times, but she still liked it.

"Better," she admits plainly, then another knock at the door. Peeking again she unlocks it all, collects the pizza, pays, over tips and shuts the door.

"Right, you take the pizza to the living room, I'll get the coffee," she then instructs as she offers over the pizza and breadsticks. "Hope you like pepperoni and Italia sausage, I think there's olives as well."

Into the kitchen to collect the coffee into a carafe, two cups, the cream and sugar onto a tray and then she heads for the living room as well. "And I did have to order pizza, cause I forgot to eat today." She then adds with another broad grin.

Johnny Blaze has posed:
"GLad to hear it."

Note to self, Sara likes being called Five-O. Johnny is attempting to decide if he wants to be an asshole and test out a myriad of different names for cop to see which one irritates her or to simply call her Five-O to her pleasure. Uncertain, but it soundsabout right.

Yet, she gets the door again and gives him the pizza with a smile to her. He noticed how quick all of that was, but he doesn't seem to mind it. "You got it boss. To me, pizza is pizza. The toppings just make it more or less exciting." Though whether the toppings chosen were more more or more less is up for debate.

He heads into the living room and takes off his jacket, revealing muscular arms, but arms that have their scars. Maybe even a tattoo or two on the left arm. He sets his jacket down to rest on the arm of the couch, and proceeds to take a seat while he waits for Sara. He doesn't eat though, strangely, apparently waiting for her.

"Well, don't want to starve. Or miss out on New York style pizza."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Setting the tray on the table with the pizza, Sara claims a seat and pours two cups, one of which gets offered to Johnny. Noting he hadn't immediately dived into the pizza, she lifts a brow then opens the box.

"Go for it," she offers, taking a moment to add a little cream to her coffee and stir. "The breadsticks are all cheesy, and not that crap you get from Pizza Hut either."

The small box with breadsticks is opened, and then she removes the lid from the container of marinara. She had no real clue if Johnny are regularly, but the impression she got was he didn't, nor did he have a place he called 'home', even temporarily. She wasn't sure /why/ that kept playing through her mind, a man a drift in the wind, but it did.

"I got busy finishing reports at the station," she slides a paper plate over for him, and finally moves a piece of the pizza onto one for herself. "I'm finally able to actually write reports the way they should be, with all the mystical, magical and alien shit added in. So I have to go back over all my reports for the last two years and add it back in, where it actually applies. This is my job right now as they decide where to put the new unit."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
With Sara returning to the living room, only now does Johnny begin to eat after she's taken her seat. A cup offered, as well as a plate of pizza, Johnny nods to Sara. "Thanks for this, by the way." He tells her then. What he's thanking her for is a mystery among the cosmos. "You got it." and he starts to eat a pizza. Though she mentions the breadsticks and he smiles. "Really? No bullshit?" Johnny looks surprised.

But this also looks like the nicest thing he's eaten in a while. Life on the road isn't easy.

It was true though, her senses did not deceive. Johnny hasn't had a home in a long time. If he needs to sleep, he finds a motel or sometimes just picks a spot on the side of the road. He can't even remember the last time he slept in a comfortable bed with pillows instead of his jacket and a comfy-looking rock.

Homeless for a reason, certainly, but that was neither here or there. Johnny didn't eat regularly, if at all some days, so to him? This was a massive blessing. He actually is scarfing down some of the food, though he's good to leave some for Sara too. He's just -hungry- and it showed.

"God...I forgot the taste of some of this." Johnny tells Sara then, though as she tells him of how work has been doing, he gives her a smile. "How reports as tedious and overwhelming as all those shows moan about?" Johnny questions her with all the legitimacy if he had asked her a research question. "Two years worth of reports? Oof, you have my sympathies. New unit?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara takes a bite of her slice, savoring the flavors. This place used homemade mozzarella, they had no choice but to do so given they claimed to be all Italian. Real Italian pizza was entirely different of course, made differently, different sauce entirely, but it was still really good New York pizza.

Pulling napkins out of the bag, she wipes her hand on one before she gets the rest out and puts them in reach for Johnny. "Yes," comes the first blunt reply when her bite is swallowed. "It is tedious, monotonous and boring as fuck, but it's also the only way to ensure that another officer can read the report and understand what is going on should they have to join a case."

Setting the slice down she takes a sip of the coffee. "Yeah, two years worth. Every report I ever wrote since joining with Witchblade. I've had to..." she pauses there, chewing at her bottom lip. "Until recently, I've had to lie a lot in my reports to explain how things happened, because I couldn't write in a report, 'A demon was possessing a twelve year old boy and making his parents kill people to feet him'. Now I can, so I have to go back and add everything that I couldn't add before."

Picking up a breadstick, she studies it a moment to make sure it's right. The cheese to bread ratio is what she's expecting, then she dips the end in the marinara. "For the last year I've been sort of under investigation, regarding my cases of course, and after the murders in Hell's Kitchen, and finding out it was an angel doing it... I thought for sure that my time as a cop was done. Instead, the Captain put two and two together and realized that I've been investigating and solving the 'mystical bull that none of us other cops understand or can deal with'. He never asked /how/ I was doing it, just accepted that's what I was doing and put me in charge of a new unit that will be responsible for just that."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny 'mmm'd with every single bite that he took of his meal, relaxing as he truly seemed to enjoy each bite of the cheesy breadsticks and the lovely cheese pizza that Johnny was on the verge of consuming. Though he seems to turn and look at her and listens to her words as he reaches for some napkins to help clean his hands after each devouring of a food item. "Damn. Sorry to hear that." Johnny replies about the reports, but she had to research -TWO YEARS- of every report she ever made since being bonded to the Witchblade.

With a slight whistle, JOhnny couldn't help but shrug with a lift of his shoulders. "That must suck."

At least Johnny is blunt about it, no point in walking in circles, you know. But he hears that she's been under investigation, even through the reports that she couldn't write what actually happened, like possessed children. God, Johnny can't stand those incidents. But, with Pezzini leading a new police unit of mystical threats, JOhnny seemed to smirk at her.

"Told you. Goodl eadership qualities. You got this, Pezzini."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
That smirk is thrown right back at him from Sara. "Oh sure, totally got this," she snorts with a slight eye roll, then finishes off her slice. She's not a nibbler, but she also doesn't devour. "I know I can lead, I just don't /like/ to do it. I had to have some leadership qualities or Witchblade never would have chose me."

Now she finishes her breadstick, and another sip of coffee is taken. "The last time we talked, you told me you didn't know anything about Witchblade, and I got the impression you think the gauntlet is the extent of it, that sound about right?"

Taking another napkin, she wipes her face and hands off. "Would you like to see the true form of the Witchblade?"

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny looks at Sara then with a bit of a smirk. He's no nibbler himself, and normlaly he's not a devourer, but it's clear he's very hungry. Even as he seems to just eliminate one slice of pizza after the other in addition to the cheesy breadsticks. "Man, this is good." Though Sara seems to suggest that of course she -can- lead, its just a matter of -wanting to-. "Those make the best leaders, honestly. It means you're humble about it. People like Sims find themselves thrown into it, and either want it or have no choice. You have the choice, and you're rolling with it. That's why you got my vote."

Johnny shrugs then. "That's just my take on it." She mentions that he had commented once that he knew very little about the Witchblade. "Yeah. Knowing it exists and knowing of it are different things, and honestly? I know jack shit about it."

The question was asked if he wanted to see the true form of the Witchblade. "Sure, hit me with it." Not actually though. That would -hurt-.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
This is the part that always amuses Sara when it comes to revealing Witchblade to someone. Standing up from the table, she takes a few steps back and starts stripping, literally. She takes off the outer shirt but leaves the tank top that's beneath it, then removes her pants to just a pair of panties. The last person she did this in front of was Cael, and the comments she had got a a result had made her laugh.

It's only a moment later that Johnny understands why Five-O just stripped nearly naked in front of him. She crosses her right arm over to hold in front of her and thousands of sharp tendrils of mental erupt to form first the gauntlet, then begin to wrap around her entire body. They shred through the clothing she did keep on as they formed armor over the important parts that should not be revealed in public, then continue to cover her legs and most of her torso, over her shoulders and down her arms, and even up over her head to form a helmet. As the large metal wings spring from her back, a long bastard sword forms in the right hand, and at the moment the large red stone on the back of the gauntlet flashes with a red light and an eye becomes visible there instead of a simple stone.

"Johnny Blaze," she says quietly, her voice slightly deeper than before. "Meet The Witchblade."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny notices the amusement that glitters in Sara's eyes when she suddenly rises to her feet and standing up from the table. But what he doesn't understand is that she's practically putting on a show for him unintentionally as she starts stripping. Unfortunately, despitep ossessing a strong will, he is not immune to the visual effects of a gorgeous woman. His eyes wander, from panties to tank top and everything around and in between.

"Uhm...if you're looking for sex, you probably could've just asked." Is Johnny's comment to Sara with a bit of humor in his tone, suggesting he's joking. But...well, the metal and sharp tendrils that wrap around her body seem to shred the remainder of her clothing and cover her legs and most of her torso. They form a helmet and even wings, in addition to a sword and the gauntlet flashes a red light, and Johnny stands up from where he was seated, looking the Witchblade in the eyes...or rather, Sara's eyes.

"am I speaking to the Witchblade or to Sara?"

Johnny was no stranger to being stuck into the back seat. Perhaps it is the same for Sara and Witchblade as it is for the Ghost Rider gestalt.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The process takes less than thirty seconds, give or take a few nanoseconds. The eyes behind the mask attached to the helmet are still Sara's blue eyes, but they seem sharper some how.

"Both," she replies in that same deeper toned voice. "Sometimes more Sara, sometimes more Witchblade, depending on the situation. Right now he is here, standing in front of you as much as I am."

She turns the hand with the sword slightly and the tendrils appears where the sword was before wrapping back into the gauntlet. "Sometimes I lose myself to him, in the heat of a battle against the darker things out there. He knows how to handle them better than I do, but we are always one, always together. Even when he blocks an attack or changes the armor, it is still me as well. It can be confusing to explain, and even more so to understand... as for sex, sorry..." a playful smile plays across her lips. "... I have a boyfriend."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny mostly stood because despite everything, he has no idea how to prepare for Witchblade because he has no idea how Witchblade will respond to his presence and the presence within him. Unlike Johnny and Zarathos, Sara and Witchblade appear to largely operate as a team and a singular unit. Johnny wishes it was the case for him, it'd make being the Ghost Rider bearable.

"Rad." Johnny replies to her about being more or less herself, just with an added benefit of the Witchblade. The witchblade is apparently sentient, a confirmed assumption, and it makes sense how she explains her situation. "I understand that...losing yourself. Its like you're not even present."

Johnny takes a moment then to witness his own darkness and his own memories.

Her remark of a boyfriend is met with a wave of the hand. "Relax, I was mostly joking. Not sure a cop would be the best girlfriend choice anyway, considering the shit I get up to."

Though he ponders. "You showed me yours. Should I show you mine?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Taking a few steps back, because even Sara doesn't know fully how Witchblade might react and she may need those extra seconds to reign him in, she chuckles a little at his comment about a cop girlfriend.

"Wade is a mutant bounty hunter and a member of the Brotherhood," she offers to explain away his comments about what he gets up to. "I may be a cop Johnny, but I get that some laws end up broken in the process of what /we/ do."

Once she has that distance she wanted, she then nods. "Since we're playing show and tell, go for it."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny shrugs. "Dunno how I feel about the Brotherhood. Doin' some good now, but did some shitty stuff in the past." Johnny shrugs. "Vengeance...should be able to reel it in if I ever meet him, but." Johnny shrugs. "Bounty hunting sounds rough." Johnny comments to Sara, though he reaches for his jacket to put it on and zip it up. "Trust me, it'll make more sense and freak you out less."

Johnny seems to take a few slow breaths as he closes his eyes, and suddenly? His skin seems to steam. He starts moving his head in discomfort as his skin seems to almost catch fire from within as his flesh practically burns away like flame to paper, everything, from his eyes to his skin to his hair all burn away until naught but bone remains. and its not just his face.

Its his whole body.

Considering his pained grunt, this was likely an extremely painful process.

But what Sara sees is a skeleton, dressed in Johnny's clothes, ignited in hellfire as this..thing straightens its body, and looks at Sara's soul....as if it were peering into both Witchblade and Sara herself. Then it speaks, its voice as if it came from the deepest bowls of hell itself where not even the staunchest go.

"....innocent." Though whether it speaks of Sara or the Witchblade is up for debate.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Admittedly, Sara should be freaked out. She should have had the fight or flight instinct engage, but with Witchblade there, it didn't happen. What did happen was a show of concern on the part of the human inside the armor, watching the painful transformation and having that pain confirmed by the grunt.

So this what the Ghost Rider, this was Vengeance himself in the fles.... bone. She didn't move, there was no desire from Witchblade to do anything more than observe, to witness the 'birth' of someone that oddly, there was a hint of respect for from the god-like intelligence that Witchblade was. Her blue eyes look up and down the figure before her, understanding now why Johnny put his coat on, but it wouldn't have been needed.

"Witchblade and my soul are one," she says to the Ghost Rider in that deeper tone, knowing him by no other name. "So I will assume that verdict applies to both of us... welcome to my apartment, Ghost Rider. Would you care to talk a bit, have a slice of pizza, or shall we face off and pretend to flex our muscles at once another in a fight neither of us can win?" She ends this with a playful tone, clearly showing no intent to actually fight.

Johnny Blaze has posed:
The Rider in Flames stands before the Witchblade as it looks to the combined form of the Witchblade and Sara Pezzini. The transformation was dreadful. Horrible. It felt like Johnny Blaze was dying over and over again every time he became the Rider. Makes one wonder when the Rider will have it's last ride....when Johnny's last daring stunt will be performed. He feels it may be soon, if this angelic invasion goes wrong.

Though The Rider's eyes look into the Witchblade's own, knowing this intelligence for what it is..and knowing that like all gods and sentient entities, it will stand trial for vengeance when the time comes. Though for th moment? The Witchblade is a herald of justice. If or when that changes...the Rider will be ready.

Yet, when The Rider speaks again, it possesses Johnny's voice, suggesting that between him and Zarathos, Johnny is currently at the forefront.

"Not my best look." Comes the chilly voice from the Rider, though the Rider shakes its head with a light crackle of the flames...the flames of damnation. Of torment.

"There would be a winner...and I have no desire to find out." Johnny opposes the Witchblade's assumption, and though it would be a LONG fight, it would be a fight all the same. Though another voice unites with Johnny's. "Our souls are one, but we are not the same. We are united in soul, but not ambition or personality. We are vengeance, but both sides of vengeance. There is always ever one at the forefront, the other in the back."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Keeping herself still, watching the flames licking around the skull as much as it does around the jacket and pants, Sara offers a hint of a smile regarding the fight. It would be a long drawn out battle between two forces of nature that, in all honesty, should not exist on this plane. The Witchblade was tempted by that thought, not because he wanted to destroy or kill Ghost Rider, but because it had been a very long time since something was actually a challenge for him.

"You spent a lot of time self depreciating," she comments, her voice still deeper but it was clearly Sara. "Why do you do that? You may not be a Dwayne Johnson, but the look serves the purpose, does it not? Did you expect me to run? To hide? To freak out?"

Now she shifts her body weight, arms folding across her chest lightly. "I can't deny that Witchblade is tempted to see just how long that battle would last," she then comments, because /he/ wants it said. "But her also has a... well, an actual respect for the Ghost Rider. Which makes me wonder, how did you become the Ghost Rider?"

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Ghost Rider watches the Witchblade. THe battle would be legendary, but Zarathos - or the Rider by extension - is not a creature that moves forth with the desire to dominate other living creatures. No doubt a time may come where these two godlike entities will have to exchange blows, and no doubts they will, but it may not be today. Or tomorrow.

But soon.

Yet, she asks some pivotal questions. "Becuase my mistakes get people killed. Being the Rider doesn't get you heaven or hell. It gets you the Rider, and it gets you pain and suffering and anguish. I'm no hero, Pezzini." Johnny's voice takes over then from Zarathos's own. "It serves as a reminder." He tells Sara, even if he takes a breath.

"I made a mistake. A sacrifice."

Johnny tells Sara with some sadness in his tone.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
There were answers in the pieces of information shared, but there were also so many more questions. Something Johnny did, a mistake, a sacrifice? The result was the Rider taking him, was it a forced thing or a decision made? It wasn't her place to ask any more than she already had, so Sara opts to accept the information that was given and leave it at that.

"Thank you," she says plainly, the tone more her own. "For telling me that. There are still a hundred questions we could ask, but I don't want to pry. I also don't want you to be in pain, if this is causing pain... so perhaps we should consider putting away our toys?"

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny nods only once, and just like that, the hellfire begins to douse itself on Johnny's Skeleton, and nerve by nerve, muscle by muscle, skin by skin, bone by bone, they all reconnect and reform Johnny's flesh to such an extent that it appeared as if he had never transformed at all. His hair was just the way it was, and Johnny's skin was still sizzling a little bit even as he took a deep breath.

"No...its not too much. If anytying, it should help you avoid the same mistakes." Johnny retakes his seat. "My adopted father was sick." He begins, and for a moment he pauses.

"Couldn't save him, so I called out to anything...god, the universe, whatever you want to call it, for help." His breath becomes shaky. "and something answered."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
For Sara the process is a little more... well honestly, it's easy, but if she did it right there, she'd be completely naked. Glancing around the room she spots the blanket on the back of the couch, then moves to pick it up. Holding it up, he is able to see the helmet return to tendrils and disappear behind that blanket. Second later, she wraps that blanket around herself, there... no nudity.

She heard him, and most certainly was not ignoring him, in fact she was tuned in to every word he said. "Lots of people have done that Johnny," she says quietly. "When my father died, I called out alright, I called out for vengeance, for revenge, for a clue to who had killed him."

Stopping there, she looks up at his face. "Who answered? The Rider?"

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny watches Sara apparently be dressed down to nothing but a long blanket. Though Johnny proceeds to remove his jacket and offers it to her in case she has a need to some extra coverage. After all, Sara had a figure, and a blanket leaves....not much to the imagination, at least from Johnny's perspective. But whether she refuses it or no, Johnny smirks. "Extremely inconvenient costume change, I bet."

Though Johnny shrugged a little bit as its suggested that plenty of people did that. "Sure they did. Sure you did....but you didn't get an answer." Johnny narrows his eyes. "I did...and it wasn't what I wanted."

He sighs. "A demon, Mephistopheles...think more Satan and not Lucifer. In exchange for my father's health and success and presence in everyone's lives...I made a deal. A soul for a soul." Johnny frowns then.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Once the blanket is wrapped around her, Sara's perfectly fine. She doesn't have modesty, clearly obvious by the fact she undressed in front of him. Instead of taking his coat she plunks down in a chair and takes a drink of her coffee which is now cool enough to actually drink and not just sip. She has to consider what he just said, because the truth was, she'd likely have done the same thing in his place.

"So this Mephistopheles, he's the reason your the Rider?" She then asks quietly, reaching to grab the carafe of coffee and pour more in his cup. "He took your soul and gave your father back his life?"

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny simply keeps his coat then and sets it on the arm of the couch as he reaches for a drink of coffee to sip from. Though her comment earns a morbid laugh from Johnny.

"If only my story was so happy."

Johnny nods though. "Yeah. He's a Hell Lord. He already had an ancient demon named Zarathos trapped in Hell, and decided to play a game. He fused my soul with Zarathos's own, where the both of us form the Ghost Rider. He wanted us to hunt souls for him that would give him power. Want to know the punchline?"

He narrows his eyes. "My dad died the day after I made this deal. Healthy as a horse, but died in a stunt accident gone wrong. Death has a funny feeling about being cheated, and Mephistopheles was to blame."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara winces. Yeah, that's about what she expected given how things were going, it just seemed to follow right along with what was the major suckage that it all seemed to be.

"I'm sorry to hear that," is offered, with sincerity. How could she not be sincere? That really sucked. "How did you go from hunting souls for him, to... vengeance?"

Another breadstick is taken, then she offers the last two in the box toward him. Really what she wanted to do what hug him, but that would be awkward and difficult in a blanket.

Johnny Blaze has posed:
If she wanted to give him a hug, Johnny certainly wouldn't say no. Whether or not she was in a blanket or in a jacket or regular clothes. Either way, Johnny is in front of a mostly naked woman, and he's keeping his cool. At least he's not pervy.

Though either way, Johnny continues. "It was always about vengeance." Johnny tells her. "I hunted corrupted souls, souls that harmed the innocent. The souls that Zarathos feasted on. Together, we became vengeance incarnated, I was simply giving the avenged souls to Mephisto." He shakes his head then.

"I eventually managed to break free of the contract and regain my soul but...Zarathos was attatched. Never to be removed." He frowns then. "I thought he'd go away by settling my score. But he didn't...so I settled everyone else's."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Okay, that does it. Sara tucks the blanket around her like people do with towels, makes sure it's secure then stands to hug the man. He got a raw deal, more so that she did. She used to think having Witchblade attached to her was a nightmare, she was wrong, so very, very, VERY wrong. So the man gets a hug, a tight hug.

"Right, you've just earned yourself a friend," she states with the hug. "No way to get out of it, it's a done deal."

Once she feels that the hug reaches that point of just enough, but not too much, she steps back and makes sure the blanket is still in place. "You made it your own you know," she says once she sits back down. "Totally fucked up, raw deal, I won't deny that for a minute, but you've made it your own... and you know what. You are a hero."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny is suddenly hugged by Sara. Her arms curl around him and pull him close, and despite how strong she is, she puts him in a tight embrace. Its one that Johnny actually returns, powerful arms wrapping around her. She states that he has a friend through the embrace, and he sadly chuckled. "I can't remember the last time I had a friend." Johnny mentiosn then, even as his eyes lower until they close firmly shut, even as he returns the embrace.

"If only it was mine. Twenty-Five years, Sara...." His breath gets shaky as he starts to break down. "twenty-five fucking years..."

She calls him a hero. He's no hero. He knows it. He -feels- it. He's a nightmare to people who would harm innocent lives. "I'm just the one willing to make the sacrifice. Somoene has to be the Ghost Rider....if not me, then who? I wouldn't want this on anybody."

Cael Becker has posed:
    The door swings open to reveal a tired-looking Cael. It's been a long day - practice in the morning. A trip to England with Jon, Martin, and some of their friends. A not entirely successful mission... and some severe emotional distress for both Jon and Martin.
    She's just spent the last few hours doing things she's really not good at - trying to comfort Martin, who barely knows, and... brewing loose leaf tea. Look, we all have our struggles. "Hey, I'm- ...interrupting," she remarks, dropping Bear's leash, and changing her sentiment entirely mid-sentence as she looks up to eye the pair in the middle of the living room.
    "Huh. This a bad time?" she asks in a dry voice.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara was just stepping back to sit down when Cael walked in, so the comment she's offered is responded to with a snort.

"My friend here needed a hug," she states, sliding the last slice of pizza in the box toward the side of the room Cael is now in.

She looks back to Johnny, offering him another soft smile. "You got a friend now Johnny, and..." she chuckles a little. "I admit, it's not the best situation, but you have owned it and made it your own. You broke the control and now you do what you want to do, and need to do. You sacrifice to keep anyone else from facing what you have, and /that/ makes you a hero. You won't change my mind on that, so eat that last breadstick and suck it."

Now she gestures to the carafe. "There's coffee Cael, you look like shit by the way."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny had just finished embracing Sara when Cael had decided to walk in. Of course, Johnny and Cael haven't had the most...pleasant conversations or interactions, especially when it comes to faith and belief, though Johnny lifts a hand to her with a little bit of a wave. "Hey." He greets her. "No, not interrupting. Just hard conversations."

His gaze turns to Sara then as she admits he's a friend once more. "Looks that way..and likewise." on friendship, though she tells him he's a hero once again, and seems to put her foot down on the matter. Rather than invoke her wrath, he simply nods and reaches for the last breadstick.

Last person who put Johnny in a place like that was Roxanne.

"You got it." and he eats the breadstick with a slight smile.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah, well, I spent the last few hours being... nice." Cael gives a little shudder, which may or may not be feigned, as she stoops to remove Bear's vest, and give the dog a pat. "Go say hi," she murmurs to the pup, who immediately prances off towards Sara, butt wiggling with the strength of his wagging tail to sniff and lick at the blanket-clad woman.
    "I have to tell you, part of me was tempted to snap a picture and text it off to Wade," she remarks in her usual dry voice. "Is there a particular reason you witchbladed up in the middle of the apartment?"
    Without really waiting for a reply, she moves towards the kitchen to retrieve a coffee mug, and when she returns, she pours herself a cup of coffee. "Hey Alis?" she says simply, holding out her cup - and waiting to see if her sister will add a shot for her. After all - it's been about a week since she had any of her emergency meds - meaning its well out of her system.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
As the cup gets stuck out, a teenaged girl appears out of no where, literally thin air. In her right hand is a large silver flask that has already had the top removed. Without pause a dash of whiskey is added to Cael's cup before the teenager looks at Johnny.

"That was the coolest fucking thing I have /EVER/ seen in my entire death!" she exclaims, then offers him a thumbs up with her left hand. "Man Cael, it would have freaked you out... a good thing you weren't here for it."

==============================================================================

Sara blinks a few times at Cael before she looks back to Johnny and says, "Oh shit, being nice... look out Johnny, she's going to be a bitch now." She saw the shudder Cael offered and knew in part, it was real, part not really.

"You can snap all the pictures you want Cael, I can just explain to Wade that Johnny and I were comparing our... toys." Sure, that's how you explain Witchblade and Zarathos, their toys. "He didn't understand Witchblade, so I showed him... and yeah, he introduced me to the Rider."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny looks at Cael with a bit of a smirk. "Yeah, I have no desire to ruin what I hope is a good relationship. Nothing happened." He tells her then, in the effect of Sar and Wade. He'd rather not mess with that at all. But he hums a moment, especially when he hears the word Alis.

"Alis?"

His question is soon answered by the presence he felt earlier. A teenaged girl appears out of nowhere, and Johnny's eyes turn to look at her even as she seems to fangirl. "Uh...thanks?" He questions her, before he looks at Sara. "Yeah, something like that. She didn't freak out at least, but I'm not sure if it's because her fight or flight instinct just didn't work or if Witchblade gave her strength of will as well as arms." He tells Sara then with a small smirk.

"But we all learned something today." He turns his head to Alis. "I'm Johnny. How long you been listening?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Didn't go to England?" Cael asks Alis in amusement. "Or did me and Blackwood looking over that list and drinking tea bore you to //tears//?" she asks in a dry voice. She takes a sip of her coffee now that it's 'properly' prepared - while Bear abandons Sara in favor of licking Alis, his tail still wagging happily.
    "I mean, if I'm going to take any pictures - you guys need to ham it up first. The hug is really where it was all at, you know?" She shows no sign that she's reaching for her phone, though, as she concentrates on simply enjoying her coffee.
    Towards Johnny she adds, "Alis is my sister." Despite her words - the girls have no resemblance at all. Alis is significantly shorter than Cael, and seemingly of asian descent - where as Cael is blonde haired and blue eyed. Alis is also as much as a decade younger than Cael - or had been when she died.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis closes the flask and slides it back into the small pack, which immediately goes on to her back. "I got bored," she admits to Cael with a shrug. "I mean, tea is tea for fucks sake. So I popped over to Sara. At the time she was in the kitchen making coffee, so I went into your room and moves all your pillows around... again, then when I went to come back out, I heard them talking."

She looks over toward Johnny, an almost sheepish expression, "So yeaaaah, I heard a lot, but I'm a really good secret keeper, no need to worry about me repeating anything. I mean I followed Cael here around for seven years and I know some of her /major/ secrets, but you won't hear me talking about them."

==============================================================================

Sara rolls her eyes as Alis goes into the nervous ramble. She knew it's what the ghost teen did when she got nervous, she started to ramble, usually senseless things.

"Alis," she says looking toward her. "Point taken."

Picking up her coffee she takes another drink. "Alis is a part of Cael and my life, for numerous reasons, but you don't need to worry about her, she's right about keeping secrets." Then she grins. "A picture of me hugging you would not cause a problem with Wade and I, don't worry about that sort of thing, and don't go worrying about Wade being upset for you crashing on the couch either."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny smiles a little bit at Sara. "Well, good to know I don't have to deal with a jealous boyfriend if I crash on your couch...which is exactly what I gotta do tonight, I think. I'm exhausted, and frankly, this is a comfy couch." He smiles at her in a friendly fashion. "But good to know she's good at keeping secrets, I'll keep that in mind." His eyes turn to Alis, the friendly ghost.

Though Cael's words about being Alis's sister makes JOhnny tilt his head. "Huh. Fair enough." Though normlaly, ghosts remain because their spirits are displeased and there's something anchoring them to the physical plane through the metaphysical.

Quite strange, really, but Johnny doesn't comment on it. "Thanks for keeping this tight-lipped. Don't need the rest of the team worrying about it."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael leans towards Alis, stage whispering, "You can tell me about it later."
    Honestly, she's pretty sure that Alis won't - and will instead lord the fact that she won't over her. Typical Alis stuff. After another sip of coffee, she picks up the last slice of pizza, taking a bite, and muttering something about fish 'n chips. Yes, she's still disappointed they didn't get to stop at a chippy while they were in England.
    "I get no say in these couch-arrangements, huh?" Cael asks as she drops into an arm chair, careful not to spill her coffee. Bear comes to sit beside her - looking from her, to the pizza, and back again - before scooting forward a few inches hopefully. "You want come pizza? Huh?" she asks the dog - who immediately starts thumping his tail loudly.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis starts giggling, even wiggles her brows and leans over like she's whispering something in Cael's ear. What she says has nothing to do with Johnny or what Alis saw, what she says is, 'Act like I'm telling you /all/ about what I saw... be shocked, big eyes.'

After she finishes that she nudges Cael and nods a few times, before looking over at Johnny and busts up laughing. "No, I didn't say anything, I swear." Then she adds, "I don't care if he crashes on the couch, I can make faces at him in his sleep... but I don't think my vote counts.

==============================================================================

Sara turns slightly in her chair to watch Alis whispering. She doesn't believe Alis will whisper anything real, but there's always that chance that the sister bound will take over.

"You know what Cael, you absolutely get a say," she then says looking to Cael. "You don't want him to sleep on the couch? That's fine... he can sleep in my bed, and I'll sleep on the couch." Loophole, of course Five-O had a loophole planned.

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Johnny looks a little surprised, judging by how high his eyebrows lift when Sara suggests that she's gonna give Johnny her bed while she takes the couch. "Uh, if I may? I'd rather not take your bed. You live here, you know? Doesn't feel right stealing your room." Johnny knows he's in friend territory, so he can have gifts and acts of service, but he's too damned humble for it.

He looks at Alis wit ha tilt of his head. "I figured you didn't. I'm still an eater of ghosts." He puts on his humorous scary face. He's not trying to actually scare her, just returning what was getting given.

Though Cael seems to make him rub the back of his neck. "Well...are you sleeping on the couch?" He questions Cael curiously. Not so much challenging her word as much as he's just genuinely curious.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael leans in towards Alis - obligingly going wide-eyed, and even helpfully adding a, "No shit?"
    She straightens back up, taking a bite of her pizza, and a sip of her copy, before rolling her eyes broadly at at Sara. "You aren't sleeping on the couch, Sara." She pulls off a bit of the pizza, tossing it to Bear, who happily gobbles it up. "I guess I just won't run around the apartment in my nothings tonight, huh?" she adds in a teasing voice.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis had just managed to stop giggling then Cael goes all 'run around the apartment in my nothings' and she loses it again, falling into her sister at she laughs. Either she picturing it, because it's an impossibility that she knows will /never/ happen, or just the idea of it is hilarious.

"Poor Cael," she snorts out with the laugh. "Has to wear clothing."

==============================================================================

Sara nods once to Cael, then looks back to Johnny with a smile.

"There's a couple of things you need to understand Johnny," she begins, taking a small sip of coffee. "One, this is how Cael and I talk to each other, joke around, and other wise communicate. Two, my bed is always available to crash in, unless I'm in it. I bought this couch, I know how comfortable it is, and I've fallen asleep on it a dozen times, why do you think there was a blanket on it?" She looks to Cael to confirm that one.

"And third, I tend to speak my mind and once I have, it's /really/ hard to change it. We're friends now, that means... brace yourself... do you need a moment?" She grins. "It means I get to help you. Shock, gasp, I know."

Johnny Blaze has posed:
Uh oh, the house rules.

Is Johnny moving in?

Though Sara gives him the works, Johnny sheds a glance to Cael, even as she jokes about walking around in her nothings. Johnny clears his throat a little bit, though he hums a little bit. "I'll uh, keep that in mind. I'll try to keep my eyes covered." He tells Cael, attempting to be respectful of the space and the goings on.

Though his eyes then turn to Alis as she seems to joke, smirking at her, then finally to Sara. "Probably pass on the bed. Its yours, after all, not mine." He tells her then, though as she mentions that they're friends now and so he must accept help.

"Beyond help, really."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I imagine Bear'll stick to his nothings, though. Won't you, Bear?" Cael asks the dog. The pup looks up at the sound of his name, head cocking and tongue lolling out. "Yes. You're every bit as wonderful as you think you are, silly thing." Cael finishes off her slice of pizza, and after another sip of coffee she adds towards Johnny, "Of course, just because you're Sara's friend doesn't mean you're mine. But it does mean I'll try to keep you alive if shit ever gets real." Last think she needs is a depressed roommate.
    "Oh, and if you're on the couch, you might have to take Bear out to do his business."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis nudges Cael and gives her a 'look', something like 'da fuck?' but she doesn't say anything, instead she walks into Sara room, through the door. No explanation, no words, just walks through the closed door. Maybe a minute later she walks back through the door carrying a robe which she offers to Sara.

"Thought this might help you, and er... him," she offers with a grin, then looks at Johnny with a 'yeah, that's right I can tell' expression.

==============================================================================

"Standing rule regarding Bear," Sara agrees. "When he has to pee, he has to pee, but usually Alis or I get him when Cael's out cold."

She blinks, watching Alis go through the door, one brow lifting with a few more blinks. Just as she's about to say something, Alis appears and offers the robe. "Oh hey, thanks Alis," she offers, then stands to put the robe on over the blanket, which means she can let the blanket fall off now.

"Cael doesn't actually wander around naked," she then states as she sits back down, while picking up the blanket. "And you are /not/ beyond help, so the couch is yours which means... this is yours." She offers him the blanket.

Johnny Blaze has posed:
"Sara...."

Johnny seems to frown a moment as she gives him that blanket after she puts on a robe and gives him a blanket. "Pezzini, you're not gonna let it go, are ya?" He questions her with a bit of a defeat in his eyes. She's stubborn, but sometimes...stubbornness can be good for the soul. It can be used to help people who've never been helped before, like Johnny.

It teaches them that its okay to have help.

Accepting the blanket, Johnny nods to her. "Thanks, Sara." He looks her in the eyes then, a smile touching his face. "I feel like she does. She seems a little too confident." He chuckles, though he looks at Alis with a smile.

"Thanks, Alis." Yes! The ghost gets thanked too.

his eyes then turn to Cael, a calm expression in his eyes. "Yeah. Makes sense to me. But, appreciated."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "She's pretty fuckin' stubborn," Cael remarks. "...just trust me on that one. I think if she and I ever really went head to head - the universe might just explode. So far, we haven't tested the theory."
    Looking towards Sara she adds in a dryly amused tone, "Maybe I'm just too sneaky with my naked wanderings. Only Alis would know the truth." Hard avoiding someone you can't sense.
    She leans back into cushions of the stuffed chair now - taking another sip of her coffee, and letting her free hand dangle over the arm. Bear immediately repositions himself so his head falls under Cael's hand - and looks pretty pleased with himself. He enjoys the truly simple pleasures.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis starts nodding the minute Johnny says Sara is stubborn, perhaps too much nodding, but she just keeps right on doing it as she walks over to sit on the arm of the chair Cael isn't dangling over.

In fact she's still nodding as she says, "You're welcome, Johnny." More nodding and finally she stops as she adds, "Sara is very stubborn. Cael is very stubborn. They are like these two giant ships on a river," she holds up her hands to represents two ships, at the moment flowing side by side.

"When they're working together, it's like harmony, near perfect, that's how good they are together," the hands continue to move together. "If another ship comes down the river at them though, they'll ram that fucker with their stubborn. You either get in line, or you run aground and then, well, your fucked."

==============================================================================

Shaking her head slowly, Sara offers Johnny a soft smile and then a slight shrug. "Nope, won't let it go," she says with a soft tone, looking up into his eyes. "I got my reasons, and maybe some day I'll tell you those reasons, but I won't let it go, I won't give up, and I'll get you a pillow for the couch when you're ready to sleep. Now, if you do happen to see Cael in the nothings, I'm going to need you to tell me cause I have /never/ caught her and it's not that I'm a perv or anything, but I just don't see her as the type of woman who does that."

She glances over to Cael with a playful grin on her face, this is the teasing part, how they communicate. "You get naked and sneak around the apartment Cael? Am I missing out? Don't want me to join you?" This has not got to be helpful for Johnny, but oh well.

Johnny Blaze has posed:
"Yeah, I'm noticing." Johnny tells Cael with a bit of a smirk. "Well, let's not try that theory out. We already ahve one universal threat on our hands, don't need another one." He teases her a little bit, then his eyes shift to Alis as she speaks.

"Two giant ships that might just crash together." He shrugs a little bit. "I can see it happening. But, I'll keep it in mind not to run into them." He smirks a little bit then.

Though, his eyes then drift to Sara. "Thanks." He tells her a little bit. "I don't think I'll be looking for a naked Cael running around, but I can try if you want. Be a good way to try and repay the debt." He tells Sara then as he messes with the blankets in his hand. Johnny hears of Sara perhaps joking about running around naked too, and he couldn't help but smirk.

"I can't tell if you two are trying to make me blush or if this really is how you two communicate."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You're probably right about that," Cael agrees with Johnny, before turning an amused look on her sister, perched on the chair beside her. She tilts towards her enough to give her a nudge. "Perfectly happy to fuck people over," she agrees with Alis in a chipper tone.
    After a sip of her coffee she adds towards Johnny, "I'm pretty much incapable of any other means of communication. I mean, I fake it sometimes, when I'm trying to be .... 'professional' - but where's the fun in that?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Alis grins ear to ear. "Do I know these two or what?" She offers, before getting comfortable. "And Johnny, yes, this is actually how they communicate, how Cael and I communicate, though if I don't want to talk to Cael any more... like right in the middle of some speech or looking at the worlds longest fucking list of teas... I can just pop out of existence. I mean, I can still hear her, but she can't see me flipping her off when I do that."

==============================================================================

Sara chuckles, taking a drink of her coffee before she looks between Cael and Johnny a moment, then ends on Johnny.

"Communicate can be tough, sometimes we really do just make gestures at each other, get out the alcohol and call it socializing. You get used to it."