9974/Path of Glory: Need to Persevere

Path of Glory: Need to Persevere
Date of Scene:	03 February 2022
Location:	Medical Ward: Triskelion
Synopsis:	Jon and Wade converse while Sara goes in for surgery to handle the damages she sustained after the mission at UN Headquarters.
Cast of Characters:	Sara Pezzini, Jonathan Sims, Wade Wilson
Tinyplot:	Path of Glory

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Sara Pezzini has posed:
Although the hour was late, the medical bay of Triskelion was high active. Another battle against the angels has numerous SHIELD agents seeking medical attention, some minor, some major. Among the major is Sara Pezzini. Although most of the medical staff has no real information about Witchblade, they all knew the basics and thus why they had never really seen her in medical. Why she was there now puzzled them as much as it did those waiting for news, but the why had to wait. The minute she arrived via Quinjet she was rushed into surgery for the multiple wounds she had sustained.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon gives the medical team the best overview he can of the injuries Sara sustained and what had already been done to stabilize her, passing on Caitlin's suggestions as coming from the 'medic in the field.' As they watch Sara go into surgery, he tries to turn and give Cael a hug, but his girlfriend is stiff and turns away to head to the bathroom.

    Jon watches her for a moment. He can /feel/ her pain--the panic and anger, the frustration and grief, the gnawing guilt. "It's not your fault, Cael," he calls after her, but what good is that going to do? She's not ready to listen.

    He turns away and stares at the surgery doors and then pulls out his phone and brings up a number saved therein: Deadpool. Not a call he ever wants to make, but he dials nonetheless. Sara's boyfriend deserves to know what's going on.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade responses to the call and the news is a quick affirmative and then he's on the bike towards SHIELD HQ once again. They're going to get tired of seeing him there if they weren't already. It takes another half an hour for him to make it past the metal detectors and security screenings before he's allowed into the medical ward.

    He's in his suit the red and black spandex-leather composite. This time around he's got his mask on, the opaque white of his eyes hiding all avenues of his identity. But nothing can hide the attitude and voice. "What the fuck did those hypocritical harpy wannabes do to my girlfriend?" he asks as he looks around the waiting area for a face he recognizes.

    Of course he knew where she was, but this was magic shit and Wade--usually keen on dealing with -anything- was not keen on meeting literal angels. A man--or in this case, a Deadpool--has to draw a line somewhere, and for Wade, angels was a good a place as any to draw it.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
With the patient stabilized, the beginning process of x-rays, CAT scans, and of course an MRI are all done to find the full extent of injuries. It was vital to know what was wrong to know where to start. While the surgeon's and surgical nurses are prepping by putting on proper attire and scrubbing their hands within an inch of bleeding, they begin prepping Sara for the surgery as well and come across one small problem. This sends another nurse wandering out into the waiting room looking for someone who might have a clue and her arrival is timed with Wade's demand for information, which thankfully at last gives the woman a clue.

Approaching Wade and Jon, she's not timid she just flat out asks, "Agent Sims, scary mask man," yes she actually says that. "Do either of you know how to remove the bracelet from Agent Pezzini's wrist?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon turns to Wade as he comes in. He's fairly used to dealing with masked heroes of one sort or another, so he just starts with explanations. "Barachiel came at her, I'm not certain exactly what happened, it looks to me like she tried to armor up and--"

    The nurse's approach cuts him off and he frowns at her. "You don't," he says bluntly. "It's a magical artifact that cannot be removed except at her death. I'm aware it's a contaminant risk, but I'm afraid there's nothing to be done for it."

    He hesitates a moment, glances to Deadpool and then to the door where Cael's disappeared. Then, to the nurse, he says, "If she does... die... bring me the bracelet. WAND will take care of its proper... dispensation." Not that he really has any idea what he'd do with the thing, but he and Cael would figure it out. Or maybe just him. Would Cael be willing to help? He can't be sure.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade runs a hand over his mask. "Fuckin' A..." he mutters. "She's not going to die" he says flatly looking at Jon. "Don't even consider it. She's stronger than that. She's not just going to roll over and let an angel punch her fucking ticket."

    He takes another deep breath and lets it out. "Why?" he asks. "I mean, you look pretty alright. Why'd he go after her... and..." he pauses again, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Where's Cael?" he finally asks, worry coming into his tone.

Sara Pezzini has posed:
The nurse accepts the information with a nod, gives each of the men a look before she adds, "She's stabilized, and headed into surgery now. When there is more information, I'll bring it to you."

A magical artifact that didn't come off, that was a new one for her report, but she doesn't take the time to debate it, even in her own head. Offering a not to each man, she turns and jobs back toward the surgical wing with the information she obtained. A plastic sleeve? Perhaps a long glove? They would figure out how to contain the bracelet in the patient's wrist and do what had to get done.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon nods to the nurse, and doesn't comment to Wade. He knows all too well that even routine surgery can lead to death; he never presumes that someone will come out alright until they're out the other side.

    He turns back to Wade and closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them, his expression is distant. "I saw... I had finished the seal. Sara was supposed to take on the middle tiers, she had the spear made with Michael's blood. Cael was with her. I was fighting with Saint Michael. I heard Witchblade scream, and I looked over and I saw her burned, and naked... I think she'd tried to armor up, and it burned her for some reason. Barachiel said something about her not... deserving to be a guardian?" He shakes his head. "I know she's been struggling with... whether or not to use him. Witchblade, I mean."

    He clears his throat. "I threw a barrier on her, to protect her, and she threw herself at Barachiel. Fairchild dropped tear gas and smoke bombs, and I couldn't... I couldn't see. I could feel their pain and terror, but I couldn't..."

    His eyes are very wide, and he says in a whisper, "She said, 'If I fall, I need one of you to collect the bracelet.' She... she thought she was going to die. I don't know... what Barachiel did. I didn't see, I was fighting Michael. Cael tried to protect her, I think? And then... and then Fairchild stepped in and stopped Barachiel from... from... killing..."

    He squeezes his eyes shut and turns away. "I don't know what he did," he repeats. "My magic wouldn't heal her. I'm... I'm sorry." He presses a hand to his side. "It healed Michael's plasma sword, it healed the tear gas, it heals /everything/, but it couldn't /touch/ whatever Barachiel did to her. Fairchild stabilized her, with angelic magic, I think. If not for her... I don't know if we'd have gotten her here in time. She was hemorraging pretty badly."

    He looks toward the bathroom door and says, "Cael's... having a panic attack, I think. She's /just/ managed to accept that I'm going to die and she'll have to bring me back, this is... a lot."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade is suspiciously silent as he listens to Jon, and even for a few minutes after the man explains the situation. When he speaks he's focused on Jon. "That is -just- as creepy as I suspected it would be." He turns to look toward the door the nurse left through and starts to pace.

    "That's fucked up..." he says, mostly to himself. "I mean, what to do...?" he ponders. "I mean I could go and find this asshole and show him what happens when people fuck my girlfriend without asking..." He shakes his head. "No. Can't do that. There are 'rules' against it... apparently." He even makes the airquotes as he talks. "I'm just supposed to sit it out and wait til it's over, nevermind my city and my girlfriend being shoulder deep in this pile."

    He's obviously frustrated and then he shakes his head and turns to Jon. "You're going to die? Do we need to get a stange black man with who has wet dreams about people dying to come talk to you after you bite it?" he asks, placidly. Apparently, this isn't a strange idea. Or maybe it is, it's -really- hard to tell when it comes to Deadpool.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon stares at Wade for a long moment. Finally he replies, weakly, "I... don't... know? It's... it's fine. Well, it's not... fine, but it's... being handled. There's a whole team going down into the Underworld, and I'm trying to make sure I wind up reborn, and it's... being handled." He doesn't sound at all confident. Wade's reaction is infinitely confusing to him.

    Then he takes a step toward Wade. "What do you mean, 'rules'?" he asks, suddenly, sharply. "What are you talking about? Do you know something we don't? Cael says she and Sara just... ignore your rambling, but by the gods, man, if you know something that could help us then out with it!" He gestures empathically, stabbing a finger in Deadpool's direction almost accusingly.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade's hands go up in a surrendering manner. "I don't know anything that can help -you-. I just know that I can't get invovled despite..." He makes a gesture using the index finger of one hand and his index and thumb of the other forming a circle. It's pretty clear what he means. "And for the record, they both don't ignore it... just Cael does. Sara listens, but most of it's so obscure and beyond her understanding, that she'd be better off not hearing it."

    "Besides... there's so many moving parts and crossovers that tossing my name into the hat would likely cause the whole machine to spiral out of control." He sighs and leans against the wall.

    He looks to the bathroom. "She's worried huh?" he asks, his mouth working a bit, he might be chewing on the inside of his cheek. "You and her are a thing, right?" he asks. He noticed the motions back when Sara was in her coma, but he didn't get any confirmation about it. "So she's going to lose you--temporarily--and she might lose her best friend in Sara--unlikely--but..." He sighs. "I could go full Zuko on her, but that wouldn't help anything." Yes, Wade references memes that are over a decade old without losing a beat. "I should go talk to her... but I think right now she'd probably shoot me or something. I'll talk her through it in a bit. Best she get an outside opinion on it all."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon rolls his eyes at the crude gesture, but just notes, "'Obscure and beyond understanding' are rather my stock in trade if you'd care to /explain/ whatever business it is that goes on in your head. Cael just says you 'know things you shouldn't' which is... true so far as it goes, thus far. Like, how did you know I use iambic pentameter when I call on the gods to judge things?" Look, he admits it! To someone he barely knows, anyway.

    He looks toward the door Cael disappeared behind again. "She thinks she doomed me, saying she loved me. She refuses to admit how much she cares about Sara, because she's afraid it might hurt her. She... needs to learn some measure of emotional regulation, in dangerous situations, and unlearn the deeply inaccurate beliefs that are causing her so much trouble." He sighs. "But... I'm not her therapist anymore. I never should have been to begin with. So I can't precisely... tell her that."

    A frown. "She's going to try to pull away from me, and I'm going to have to be kind and patient and..." He cuts it off, hard, and looks away. He barely knows Wade, after all.

    "You must be worried," he says instead. "Is there anything I can do?"

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade shakes his head. "No. Not right now. Unless you have some -really- hard drugs on you." He sighs. "As for what I do?" he says gesturing to his head. "I just I don't know how it works but I can sort of just... know things. How different versions of me handle things in different universes and what the situation of other people are in different universes." He shrughs. "I get's complicated and there are so many different versions of people out there that oftentimes what I know isn't the case here."

    He gestures to Jon. "Take you, for instance. When I first met you I knew you were 'Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London... because there is a world out there where you're in charge of the archive of this giant mystical investigation foundation where everything goes bad and in the end the world ends. But then again, I also know that in another... that entire ordeal is a podcast that has a bunch of fans."

    He shrugs softly. "Here... things are different, obviously. It's all because of the fingers of others... or well... I guess some people can use dication apps but that's rare." He chuckles. "But X-Force isn't even in this world, you're not from a comic book, and I don't know what's going on with Sara and Jackie in this world... or if she even knows who he is or whether they bone on the reg? And let's not even get into original stories. Like her..." he gestures to the closed door of the bathroom. "Those people are even harder to connect to. They're a blank slate as far as my knowledge is concerned." He sighs again and leans his head back. "But I have Sara here and that's been good. Better than anything else I've been in here. She gets me and accepts that sure sometimes I'm going to talk to the audience, that's just how I am." He adds, "And the sex is... well, neither of us really want for stamina, let's just say that."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon folds his arms across his chest and frowns at Wade as he listens to the explanation. His eyebrows rise at 'podcast' but otherwise he doesn't comment. Not right at first, anyway.

    Then he says, "That's the issue you have with Cael. Why you two don't... quite get along. Whatever... knowledge you have, it doesn't extend to her. Cael... only exists /here/. In this universe. Is... is that what you're saying? Me, and Sara... we have duplicates. Alternates. Some... other version of me... evidently dealt with the world ending." He chuckles and shakes his head, ruefully. "Poor fellow. But the point is, you have some idea how to... relate to us."

    He tilts his head, and then says softly, "Has it occurred to you to just... relate to her as a person? Or... if you're not capable of that... as a new story? A brand new original series, new character to learn about?" He smiles. "The world must be awfully boring if everyone's just copies of other things. I think Cael's... brilliant, personally. If this universe is the only one she exists in, then I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, however wonderful it might be."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade is quiet for a moment as he listens to Jon. "I mean, I could... it's just... with other people there's a reference point. I'm not the best with ice breakers. Usually, I just say hello and start shooting or slicing or I give them my card and tell them to call me if they have something they want sliced, shot, acquired, or located."

    He frowns the edges of his mask pulling down to give an indication of the expression. "I mean, I guess there's also the fact that Cael and I got off on a rough start. I was my usual brash self who was getting saved by her partner and she didn't see me as anything more than a mutant vigilante who had a severe issue with authority... which to be fair, is pretty much what I am. I prefer mercenary to vigilante, I'm not going to go stop a mugging unless I can get some money out it. Or a bite to eat, but the sentiment is the same."

    "But I guess I could give it a shot" he pauses and focuses on Jon. "Look, I'm probably the last person you want this from... but it seems like something is going on there... with you two? Last time you were here she was all over you and just now you said she was going to pull away?" He takes a breath. "I am probably the -worst- guy to give -you- advice on romance, but... it's because she's afraid, huh? She gets close and then you die and she is left with what? Some memories and a broken heart, right?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon keeps listening. He's good at listening, deliberately paying full attention, uncrossing his arms to open his posture and seem friendlier. The way his fingers fidget at his sides, tapping against his leg like he ought to have a cigarette in between index and middle finger, is the only indication of distraction--and admittedly, that's meant to help him focus. He nods at 'I guess I could give it a shot,' approvingly.

    And then Wade goes into... romantic advice.

    He looks away, arms immediately going up to cross over his chest again. "She's supposed to come bring me back to life," he replies, tersely. "She's... she's had a hard time of it. The same thing that... hurt her, is going to hurt me. And then I'm going to die. And that's... hard. I'm her first love, and it's... but it's fine. We'll get through it, we already... did this. She could barely look at me for weeks. She's hurting, but if I just... she'll come 'round, eventually."

    His jaw shifts a little, as he stares at the doors to the surgery. He doesn't say that there might not be /time/ for her to come around. Or whatever else is on his mind.

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade keeps his eyes on Jon for a moment longer and then rubs the back of his head. "Umm... yeah, don't do that..." he says. "You've got a universe ending and your death looming on the horizon. Don't 'wait' for her to come around... because if she doesn't and she's supposed to save you... might be better for you and her to do whatever it is you do to connect... cuddle? Cuddling is nice and above board, right?"

    There is a vaguely haunted edge to his voice. "You don't want to wait on that because when time comes around and one of you are gone?" He sighs. "All you'll have is regret and you can't go on a big 2 hour long movie sequence in order to erase the regret if that's all there is to it. You gotta have more than that. I mean, for me, it was learning to work with a group. For you... it's whatever you plan on doing down south."
"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I wasn't going to wait," Jon says, still not looking at Wade. "Like I said, I'll be kind and patient. I'll talk to her. I'll give her a hug, or... whatever she needs. I will be there for her. Her roommate almost died, and she had to face an archangel and... and hold the injector, and help me get Sara here. It's /hard/. I'm sure she'll be out of the bathroom by the time Sara needs her. She's just... going through a lot, right now."

    He frowns. "I'm probably going to turn myself over to Saint Michael, in the next few days, for... retribution, for damaging his wing. He's going to torture me, and Cael's... not happy about that." He smirks, dryly. "Unsurprisingly. I'm... sort of expecting it'll be this weekend. I'm supposed to... tomorrow, we were going to go up on the roof of Grand Central Station and talk and... well, I don't know if she'll be... up for that. We'll see, I suppose." He shrugs. "I expect she'll need to be here with Sara."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I wasn't going to wait," Jon says, still not looking at Wade. "Like I said, I'll be kind and patient. I'll talk to her. I'll give her a hug, or... whatever she needs. I will be there for her. Her roommate almost died, and she had to face an archangel and... and hold the injector, and help me get Sara here. It's /hard/. I'm sure she'll be out of the bathroom by the time Sara needs her. She's just... going through a lot, right now."

    He frowns. "I'm probably going to turn myself over to Saint Michael, in the next few days, for... retribution, for damaging his wing. He's going to torture me, and Cael's... not happy about that." He smirks, dryly. "Unsurprisingly. I'm... sort of expecting it'll be this weekend. I'm supposed to... tomorrow, we were going to go up on the roof of Grand Central Station and talk and... well, I don't know if she'll be... up for that. We'll see, I suppose." He shrugs, though he can't /quite/ keep a bitter tone out of his voice. "I expect she'll need to be here with Sara."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade contemplates on it and then shakes his head. "No. She won't. She'll be at Grand Central with you. I can help Sara. You two focus on you right now... it's important. She can be there for you and help with your war... I can be here with Sara because I -can't- be involved in your war." He glances up at the roof of the building and rolls his eyes, presumably at whatever god or wizard or <insert title here> runs the universe he's found himself in.

    "Her sitting around here fretting isn't going to help anyone or anything..." he says flatly. "At least when she's with you, you can help each other." He pushes off from the wall and looks up and down, gaguing the distance from any eyes or ears on them. "You're SHIELD right? I saw the badge last time we were here."

    "I've already hit the janitor's closet and the second floor restroom... do you know of any other secluded out of the way places in the building?" He taps at one of the pouches along his belt. "I've got an 8-ball burning a hole in my pouch and if I'm going to convince her to go off with you... then I'm going to need a bit of powdered courage to make sure it sticks." How he managed to get the drugs past the security screen is a question for a brave man.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I had figured," Jon says in a brusque tone, "that Cael would /want/ to be here with Sara. I'm not going to keep her away from her roommate when she's hurting." He shakes his head. "You don't need to talk to her. I'll go knock on the door in a moment. I just... I just have to... to stop... I can't..."

    He stares at the door. His voice is low, almost a whisper. "If she's like this now... how is she going to be when I come back? Who's going to... to help her, when I'm..."

    He shakes himself. "It's... just... give me a moment, alright? You should be focused on your girlfriend anyway, you needn't... get yourself involved in our business. You're right that Sara's going to need you. She's been... doubting herself, and I don't think I... helped the other day. But I'll be here for her too, at least when she wakes."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade stares at Jon for a moment and then sighs. "Fuck it all..." he murmurs and moves forward. He reaches into the pocket he patted earlier and pulls out a small baggie of a white substance (it's definitely cocaine) and presses it to Jon's chest. "Hold on to this. Keep it secret," he leans in and whispers, "and keep it safe..." before he moves to the door.

    He tests the handle and shrugs, before reaching into another pouch and removing a set of lockpicks.

    "I'm going to talk to her because you aren't going to... and you're too wrapped up in this..." he says. "I've listened to your podcast... I know how you work when it comes to people you care about... it's not good. So let me handle it and you focus on keeping my stash safe from the rest of SHIELD."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's eyes widen. "I can't--! Do you /actually/ want me to carry it to New Zealand and drop it in a sacred volcano because I bloody well will!"

    He glowers at the red suited man. "Shortcuts," he says. "Social shortcuts to keep you from having to /actually/ get to know people. Whoever this 'Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute' is, he's not the /same/ as me. You might do well to remember that, in future."

    He shakes his head, and then conjures a citrine around the cocaine, and then a veil of invisibility around the stone, before sticking it in his pocket. This is a terrible idea. This is a /terrible/ idea. And yet, he's doing it.

    Madness. He's going mad. Has Deadpool met Vorpal? They'd probably get along.

    "Just remember that she's a new character. A new... comic book. 'Becker, Agent of SHIELD.'" He smiles at that, as he goes to drop into a chair. "You have to read the comic to know what she's like, okay? Give it a chance, though. She really is brilliant."

Wade Wilson has posed:
    Wade looks over his shoulder at Jon. "I'll show you Mt. Doom after I'm done if you really want to be my boofing administrator" he says before turning back to the lock. "I get it. I do. I can't promise I'll read the whole series right now. There's more important matters to attend to... but I'll get through a few issues for sure." He twists something and there is a slight click before the door pops open a crack and the red-clad man slips inside, tucking his tools away as he disappears.