9591/The Unwanted Houseguest

The Unwanted Houseguest
Date of Scene:	12 January 2022
Location:	Shadowcrest Manor - Bristol Township
Synopsis:	Cael and Sara chat after a rather tense meeting - and future housing arrangements for their houseguest are agreed upon.
Cast of Characters:	Cael Becker, Sara Pezzini

---

Cael Becker has posed:
    People start filing from the room, and Jon disappears through some sort of portal. Typical. Cael checks her phone one more time, typing out a quick reply to something before she starts pushing herself to her feet, eager to escape the room that was - for the moment - rather aggitating for you. "Let's go for a walk, Bear. Yeah? Go exploring," she encourages the dog, shooting her roommate a brief, questioning look, before she starts for the door learing out of the library. She barely even waits for Sara to accompany here - though perhaps that look had meant to stand in for an invitation.
    It can be hard to tell with Cael, sometimes. Especially when she's on edge.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara was already getting up to go with, but she notes the look and offers a smile as she moves to follow. She could tell something was bothering Cael, months of living with her and being around her had taught her the cues.

"A little warmer out tonight then it has been," she comments, pulling on her heavier jacket. "But not warm enough."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "No, not warm enough," Cael agrees quietly. 'Out' was not yet Cael's goal, though. The house was strange - clearly larger than it'd seemed from the exterior - and so she starts wandering the halls, peering out into long meandering garden paths that oughtn't exist at all, and grand sitting rooms, and halls and halls of closed doors.
    "The place is strange," she mutters to herself quietly, stopping outside a room that seems to be some sort of...artifact display room? Odd.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara wasn't going to comment on the amount of magic floating around this place. Witchblade was whispering where not to go so she doesn't trigger anything, but it was everywhere around them.

"The sanctum of magic users tend to be strange," she offers, looking around as they walk. When they pause she looks over the items in the room and has to warn Witchblade not to get interested or upset about any of them cause they aren't his to be worried about.

"How you doing Cael?" She finally asks.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I think you saw how I'm doing!" Cael answers with a humorless laugh. Her expression sobers, though, her hand resting on the case of a beautiful jeweled necklace. Perhaps its simply on display to showcase the skill of the metalworker?
    ...probably not.
    "I thought I could handle a meeting, I didn't think I'd get quite as far on edge as that," she remarks. "I guess it goes to show just how unprepared I am to head back out into the field. Which means I won't have Jon's back." A fact she clearly loathes.
    He's going to die - and she's not even going to be there.
    "Didn't help that I got into a fight with your friend before."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Oh boy, of course Cael got into a fight with Johnny before this. That's the icing on the cake. Sara had wanted to be there for that conversation but life had other plans. Deliberately not looking at the items so she doesn't know what's there, thus Witchblade doesn't know, she keeps her eyes on Cael instead.

"Cael, you're still a raw nerve," she offers softly. "You're going to be a raw nerve for a while. No, you aren't ready to go back into the field... I hate it, you hate it, but that's the truth."

She turns a little more toward Cael. "What was the fight over?" She asks, already knowing the answer.

Cael Becker has posed:
    But Jon needs her. And she needs to be there.
    ...and she refuses to be a liability in the field.
    She grips the glass case in front of her, blinking back her tears as she decides on the //safer// of the two subjects to comment on. "His fuckin' God," she answers cooly. "And my misguided inability to see the wonder of his love, or some such trite bullshit. What else would we argue about?
    "I don't like him, Sara. I don't have to like him. I don't even want to //see// him."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara sighs softly and lays her hand on Cael's shoulder. "It's not a misguided inability, no matter what he says," she offers first. "You don't have to believe in his God, you don't have to like his God, I don't. I can't stand his God or anything about him, and I've made that clear to him... but he's more than that belief."

She gives Cael's shoulder a light squeeze, "Once all this is over, I'll help him find another place to live. I realize that right now, the way everything is, you can't see past that belief in him. You can't see he's a good man who's been cursed with something horrible, that that something inside him is proof of demons and hell, and that the only way he can get through carrying that thing, so it doesn't end up bonded to someone else, forcing them to face the horrors Johnny goes through, is to keep it inside himself and believe that when he does die, he'll be rewarded for his sacrifice. I get you can't see, don't want to see, and refuse to see that... so when this is all over, I'll find him a home that isn't ours, alright?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael nods - the gesture tense, her shoulders taut. "Good," she agrees - without commenting at all on Johnny's beliefs, or his experiences. "I don't mind him staying there now. Hell, it's probably the only things keeping the looters away. But I won't-" She grits her teeth tightly, and shakes her head.
    "I'm sorry, Sara, but I hate him. I really do. I hate him."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara nods, looking away from Cael to a spot on the wall, not the items in the room.

"You don't know him," she offers bluntly. "You hate what he represents, but you don't know him well enough to hate him."

She knew the truth. Johnny would go back to living on the streets, crashing out in allies and motel rooms, and he was the only person she'd ever met who actually understood what it was like to have Witchblade constantly there. She might be able to convince him to settle for a little while, some place closer...

"You come first though," she offers with a chuckle. "You were my friend first, so I'll figure it out."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "He's an asshole," Cael says unequivocally. And she's allowed to hate assholes.
    Beside her, Bear lets out one of his little whines, nudging up against Cael, just as she's running one hand through her hair in aggrevation, revealing the riotous rainbow hues underneath.
    "Anyways. I hope you can find him a place - or whatever." It just can't be //her// place.
    "I'm alright, Bear. I'm good. You missed the whole damned thing, is all," she reassures the dog, forcing a smile as she scratches his shoulder. "I'm good."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara keeps that smile on her face, partly forced, partly real.

"How about we just accept you don't like him and stop talking about him?" she offers, already planning to rent an apartment up stairs for Johnny, it was the only way she could keep him in a home that he deserves. "We can talk about something else now. I'll get him out once it's all over, I promise."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael nods wordlessly, and is silent for several long breaths. Her gaze is drawn to her hand, tightening on the glass case again, and she pulls her eyes away from it, dropping both of her hands to her side abruptly. "Yeah, well... What else is there to talk about? I'm still a mess. I can't help Jon, or help save the world - not out in the field, anyways. Jon keeps telling me how strong I am, but- I just don't see it. Not on days like today, anyways. I shouldn't have even tried to come to this meeting - I thought it'd be fine. What could go wrong? What's the risk?"
    She lets out a snort.
    "Yeah."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara gives Cael's shoulder a light squeeze, "Cael, you are strong. You can't see it because you're still fighting, you're using that strength to keep yourself from completely losing your shit. Sure, you have your moments, but look at bit picture Cael... look at everything that's happened and you're still standing. /That's/ strength."

She takes her hand off her roomies shoulder. "Do you want me to stay with Jon?" She then asks.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "//I// want to be with Jon," Cael answers quietly. "I want to have his back. I said that I would!"
    ...you said that you'd try. You said you had no idea how losing Raphael's grace period would affect you. You didn't make any promises you couldn't keep. No checks you couldn't cash. But still, Cael balls her hands tightly at her side. "I'm just frustrated. I hate being sidelined with the fate of the universe at stake. When Jon- ...I hate this. I want to be by his side."
    She should be there when he falls...
    "Fuck, I hate this."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara lifts a brow, then nudges Cael. "Let's start walking again," she offers first. "Then you can tell me what you didn't just say... when Jon what? I know you wanted to be there, but you're no good out there right now. So I'm offering, I'll be there with him for you if that will ease your mind a little."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Bear licks at one of Cael's fists, whining quietly and trying to get his person's attention. Cael rubs at her eyes with the hand that //isn't// covered with dog slobber - and rubs at the dog with the other, before she'll begin walking again at Sara's prompting.
    "I- something bad's going to happen, but I don't know that Jon would want me to say. He swears it'll be alright. ...I have my doubts. He's made that promise before, and been wrong before. I want to be there, is all - so I've been trying to get better." What else could she possibly say?

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara pauses, really she stops midstep and stares at Cael. "Wait, what?"

She had to take a moment to gather her thoughts. "Okay, so something bad is going to happen and he's not telling anyone about it, except you apparently, and he's the fucking leader of this group...." she stops there, taking a deep breath. "Sorry... that's not on you, that's on him."

Reaching up she runs her hand through her hair and lets out a breath, "I know how to get you there." She had been avoiding this choice. "Since he won't open his god damned mouth, since he won't let us in and he did let you in... I know how to get you there, to help him."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "It's... complicated, Sara. It's fate. It's part of the damned game, and how we're all chess pieces with a fuckin' //role// to play," Cael grits out in frustration. She takes several steps beyond Sara before she stops as well, reaching down to rub at Bear some more. "He's trying to find a way around it. I think- ...he just wants to figure out his options first. I don't know. I just know I hate it."
    Still scratching at the dog's head she asks, "How? How can I be there?"

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara starts walking again, this time headed toward the front door. What she intends to say she doesn't want other ears hearing.

"He's still acting like he's alone," she states as she gets to the front door and holds it open for Cael and Bear. "Sure, he's trying to find a way out, we all would do the same thing, but he's not alone. I'll pretend I have no idea, for now, but if he doesn't say something Cael..." she wasn't going to go into how much that hurt, that a friend was against the wall and wouldn't say anything about it.

"As for how to get you back in the game, it would be temporary," she finally says once they are a little bit away from the house. "And it would be asking a lot of Alis, but it it's possible if she's willing."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "He's not acting completely alone," Cael protests as she walks with Sara. "He has me, and Martin, and the other leaders of the Justice League Dark. And he's been talking to Chief Carter, and the Titans. He just- he doesn't have to tell everyone //everything// Sara. And I don't know- I'm not sure he'd really want me talking about this," she explains.
    She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she repeats, "He says it's going to be fine." But it's so hard to believe that it will...
    "How would Alis help with this mess?" she asks dubiously.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"Of course he wouldn't want you talking about it," Sara says plainly. "But you have to talk it out, and you already know I won't say anything... to him, or anyone else for that matter. You know what you tell me, won't go anywhere else." Even if it hurt that she wasn't Jon's friend when she thought she was.

"It's not something Alis could do constantly," she then says, just changing subjects and dropping the other one. "You know that Alis can possess people, she can also ride inside them, which she did before with me. She likely can't do it a lot, or for that long, but she should be able to skin ride, that's what they call it, and keep the emotions from overwhelming you. So... when you need to be there for Jon, if you aren't able to pull it together, it might be something you could do so you can be there."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael takes a deep breath in, and lets it out slowly. "Sara... I have a therapist to talk to. And I mean - that's the whole point of a therapist. Being able to talk about the shit that you can't for some reason, tell other people." She flicks her gaze to her roommate, and then away again as they continue wandering slowly through the garden. "It doesn't matter if I think you would tell someone else or not. I- I really don't think he wants me telling people, and it's not like I'm good at... relationships or anything, but even I know it's not a great foundation if I start doing things that- I think would betray his trust."
    She runs a frustrated hand through her hair. She shouldn't have said anything... fuck.
    "And that sounds like a lot of maybes. She might, maybe, for a little bit be able to help me keep my emotions in check. But we don't know for how long? Or how much? Or if she can get... overwhelmed? I- I don't know. I don't know that we even get warning of when... shit's gonna happen. Hell - could be right now. I just don't know."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
"We could test it to find out," Sara states, letting other thing stay buried. "Or not, it was just an idea."

She sighs softly, then fishes into her coat pocket to pull out the keys for the SHIELD car she borrowed. "You'll need this for the car, so you can get Bear home. I'll tale your bike to the Triskelion, leave the keys in your room."

Cael Becker has posed:
    Fishing in her pocket, Cael retrieves the keys for her bike, offering them over to Sara in turn. "Unfortunately... I don't think life is supposed to have easy answers. I wish it did. I wish I knew how to- how to make all this go away. But the only way to the otherside is through. Yeah?"
    God. Is she really quoting her therapist?
    "Too much fuckin' time with Caldwell," she mutters under her breath. "Ugh."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Sara takes the keys to Cael's bike and slips them in her pocket. "Of course life doesn't have the answers, you have to find them yourself," she offers with a shrug. "You got this though. You'll get through it."

Looking back toward where the vehicles are parked, she found herself actually longing to not be there. To just be on the road, wind on her face. She couldn't help anyone right now, the waiting game was eating away at her will moment by moment and she couldn't even distract herself by helping anyone.

"You'll be back to the Trisk tonight?" She finally asks, clearly preparing to leave.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Yeah," Cael promises. "I'll be back. I just- I need to make sure I'm, you know, ready to drive. Driving upset's never a good idea." Not if you can avoid it.
    She flashes Sara a small, tight smile. "I know you want to help. And... that helps, you know. I just- I don't know." she shrugs helplessly, not really sure what to say.
    "I'll be alright, and Bear'n me'll be back later."

Sara Pezzini has posed:
Turning slightly to look at Cael, Sara tilts her head. "You don't have to talk about what's in store for Jon, you don't have to talk about any of it if you don't want to, just seems that's really all there is right now. That there's nothing else to talk about and to be shut out of the Jon thing, no big deal, I get it... relationship I didn't even know existed, whatever..."

She shakes her head, "Forget it Cael, I'll see you later tonight."

Cael Becker has posed:
    For a moment, there's a look of surprised pain on Cael's features - before a closed and controlled mask falls into place over it. "Yeah," she agrees simply. "See you later tonight."
    She turns to go deeper into the gardens calling, "Com'on, Bear. Let's see what the rest of this place is like."
    After a confused whine, looking towards Sara, and then Cael, the pup trails after his owner.