Owner	Pose
Sara Pezzini	For Sara the day had been a combination of work outs with Cael and going to the gun range. She spent some time playing with Bear while Cael was at therapy, then some practice rounds with swords and the whip, the whip being the newest weapon she used in combat with Witchblade. The call from Peggy came in just after her shower and getting dressed. Her reply was quick, "I"m on my way now."
Peggy Carter	While she probably could have used a bit more time off, Peggy was also incredibly worried about being out of touch when so much is going on. That means she had Daniel drop her off at the office after their night away and she's changed back into her tac suit, ready to work if she's needed. Not that her tac-suit is much fitting, she can't even get the jacket comfortably zipped. But she's wearing it open with ehr hair pinned back behind her desk, "No rush, I'll be in my office." She reassures Sara. When the woman arrives, there's tea made already and some warm food out from the cafeteria. She's expecting no one has had much time to take care of themselves and she's doing her best to care for them instead. She gives Sara a tired, worried smile as she walks in. "Sara... come. Sit. Eat something, if you haven't. There's tea -- caffeinated and not, depending on what you want."
Sara Pezzini	Although it may not look professional in any way, shape or form, Sara's chosen clothing of late has been sweat pants and shirts. For those who knew how Witchblade worked, they understood the why. It was easier to replace a set of sweats over say a tac suit or nice clothing, and with the war raging... she just didn't know when and where she would have to armor up and destroy another set of clothing. Entering the office, hair still wet but brushed, she offered Peggy a nod with a quiet, "Thanks." then got herself a cup of the caffeinated tea. She was running on caffeine these days as sleep was broken up by Cael's nightmares. With tea in hand, a dash of cream and some sugar, she settles into a chair. "Tea is enough," she offers once she's sitting. "Have plans to burn myself some top roman later, or take Cael to The Wok for noodles... they have great noodles."
Peggy Carter	"Get off site if you can. Just for a little bit. It'd be good for both of you." The tea is Peggy's preferred gunpowder black, the caffeinated one, at least. That little pot is still full, as Peggy is drinking out of the pot full of the ginger tea she has come to prefer as of late. "It's good to see you. I... don't want to keep you too long, but I'd like to get a full report, if you can give me five minutes. Sometimes talking through it is easier than putting things on paper." Peggy's concerned smile is gentle and reassuring. This might not just be about getting a report, but letting her agents get things off their shoulders.
Sara Pezzini	Sara nods, taking a small sip of the tea. She still prefers coffee, but something about the tea in Peggy's office, it was like a little treat for having to see the boss, and she loved it. "I was part of the team with members of the Outsiders, Batman and one of the Ghost Riders, which by the way there are two of." Taking a slow deep breath, "What exactly do you want to know? Our side of the battle?"
Peggy Carter	Hearing htat slow breath from Sara, Peggy's brows furrow just a bit deeper. She's worried for the woman, that much is clear, but she's not going to helicopter over Sara yet. She pours herself out more tea and leans back in her chair, crossing her long legs beneath her desk. "Yes. What you saw, felt, how you thought it went, what happened...And any recommendations from the future."
Sara Pezzini	Staring at the liquid in the cup, Sara is silent for a moment, letting her brain focus back on that moment, the combat, what she could remember. "We coordinated through Batman," she starts. "Using his comms, which I still need to return to him. Took up position near the church, but not at it. When Michael arrived, so did the heavenly host. Red Robin, Zatanna, and... I don't know her code name." Reaching up she runs her finger through her hair to push it back from her face as she looks up. "Phoebe Beacon, they were on the ground, Batman and I were on the top of two different skyscrapers. Michael gave a speech, split into two part, and that's when I engaged him." Although her words are precise and to the point, there is something in her face that tells another story, a personal battle going on inside of the woman.
Peggy Carter	There is something about Sara's expression which only worries Peggy more. She swallows back quietly, moving only enough to reach out and start the recording on her phone. She has started not taking notes while reports are given but recording them so she can write things down later and just focus on listening to her people now. Eye contact, patient attention, that's all better. "Alright... Yes. I was told you saw the other half of the battle, that makes sense. And I've now sent down many sound blocking comms for everyone. They block out over 99 percent of outside sounds and link into communications for the various teams on different encrypted channels, so they should help for the future. But, continue."
Sara Pezzini	Another deep breath is pulled in before Sara continues, "Red Robin, Phoebe and Zatanna weren't alone on the ground for long, Ghost Rider arrived and between the four of them, engaged the heavenly host on the ground. I'll admit I was unable to see much of what was happening there, as I was in the sky engaged with Michael." Another sip of the tea, the emotions inside professionally controlled, a police detective giving a report and keeping her calm. "Witchblade is a creation of two gods, little g. Michael is a servant of God, with a capital G. The clash didn't go well. I managed to get in a good hit and then he shield bashed me into a building, that then collapsed on me." She pauses her and something dark passes over her face. "I'm afraid I have to report that from that moment on, when Michael broke my ribs and imbedded me in the ruins of a building... Witchblade's rage overcame me and he took control." Her eyes return to the cup, glaring at it as if by will alone she could make it explode in fire. Anger, over her failure to control him, over missing the end of the battle, over not knowing what happened. "I couldn't regain control over him until Ghost Rider forced a retreat, that is to say he drug Witchblade through a portal to Grand Central."
Peggy Carter	"And when Witchblade takes control, do you remember... Anything? Or does he entirely black out your mind?" Peggy asks softly, no shame or disappointment in her voice as Sara admits what happened. She shakes her head slowly as she sees the anger in Sara's face. "There is no shame in... your body protecting itself. That's what Witchblade did there. You were in a crisis and it... He did whatever he needed to do for you both to survive. Would you not agree?"
Sara Pezzini	Slowly Sara looks up at Peggy, a small smile playing on her lips. "No, actually... he got so overwhelming angry that I was actually hurt, that the rage he felt was stronger then I could block and keep control of him. In a way it was protection, in another it was just the same rage and violence I'm always struggling again, but on a level I've never felt before. It's my /job/ to keep him check, and I failed." Another sigh and she takes a sip of the tea. "I have a few flashes. I know he exploded out of the rubble, I know he could see Michael be 'killed'," she makes a single hand air quote there. "By Batman and Ghost Rider, but after that there's no memory until at Grand Central and he let me have control back to heal Cael."
Peggy Carter	A slow sigh escapes her nose as she considers that. Just how dangerous it might be. Peggy sinks back in her chair and lets go of her tea so she can drag one hand down her face in silent consideration of it all. "If... if you had an agent give YOU this report, how worried would you be? I want to trust you in the field. This has never happened this... Badly before, has it? Knowing the stakes of the situation, how worried should I be?"
Sara Pezzini	"If someone gave me this report, I'd be concerned," Sara states before she looks back up. "Especially when not many people even understand how Witchblade works. Jon laid into me, told me I had to keep him in control or he'd kick me off the team, but again, he doesn't know about Witchblade or how it works." Again she runs her fingers through her hair, then had to stand up and pace a little, working out the nervous energy that was building up. "Technically speaking, he prefers others not know how it all works, but I've told people in the past and I'll keep telling them, whether he likes it or not." She pauses to look at Peggy. "See, Witchblade isn't just some fancy magical artifact Ms. Carter, he's an intelligence born of the gods Gaea and Chthlon. He /is/ a god himself, to some degree. When he choose me as his Wielder, at first it was completely against my will, but as I came to understand him and his purpose, I could willingly accept being his Wielder. That doesn't change a few major factors... he's his own persona, his own being, and we are connected via our souls." She paces a little more before moving back to sit down. "He is a weapon against gods, born to kill Old Gods in fact, so in this day and age he has troubles accepting the seriously high level of change that was his existence and what /is/ his existence now. We're working on it, but Rome wasn't built in a day and I've only had him in my life for two years. The most important thing, the one that you and eventually Jon, need to understand... he would NEVER harm innocent people. His anger and violence is always aimed at the things he perceives as breaking the balance, which in this case is the angels."
Peggy Carter	There is a deeper worry across Peggy's eyes as she processes this, especially as Sara says she'd be concerned if someone else said it. She doesn't interrupt. She just listens openly, letting Sara get out the whole explanation. Finally, a bittersweet smile touches her features. She looks every one of her hundred years old right now, she's that tired. "The person I'm worried for the most, in this situation, is you. This blade... this *soul*, is taking away your consent. Your bodily consent and MENTAL consent. Putting you in this situation, even if that's the situation this Witchblade was made to *fight*, means putting one of my agents... My people, in a situation where they lose consent and control over their whole being. I don't want to do that, Sara. I can't ASK THAT of you. Sending you back in there when I know what it will DO to you. Do you understand? This isn't about innocents. This is about YOU."
Sara Pezzini	That confession seems to take Sara by surprise, causing her to blink a few times as she stares at Peggy. Clearly she didn't quite explain it well enough. "I think you misunderstand, or maybe I wasn't clear enough..." she lets out a slow breath. "He has my consent. By agreeing to be his Wielder, that's the consent. This is the first time it's ever happened, and although I can't promise it will be the last, I can promise that he and I have been debating why it happened, how it happened, and what could cause it to happen again." For a moment she is silent, considering something before she finally just reveals it. "The last official wielder of Witchblade was during World War II, since then he had been bounced around through numerous unacceptable and unfit Wielders. That took a toll on him, especially Irons." She won't go into that one much more than that. "So, he's very protective of me, but this... this concern you show, and what Sims said about kicking me off the team... this worries him more than I have ever felt before, because he is realizing that his actions are risking /my/ ability to be helpful, and thus /his/ ability to be helpful. Does that make sense, or am I rambling?"
Peggy Carter	There is silent consideration from her, Peggy watching Sara's eyes as the woman insists that she's giving consent to this blade. She frowns, a cross of skepticism through her tired features, but she doesn't disagree immediately. "Alright. I understand that you consented to carrying the blade. But it does not seem that you consented to him entirely taking over your mind and body during the fight. That is my concern. If you and this... other entity are working on it and YOU don't feel violated, I... won't stop this. We need you out their fighting and I also won't take you out of the field against your wishes. But I want full reports about it. If this ever happens again, I want you to tell me. Understood?"
Sara Pezzini	Peggy is offered a nod as Sara seems to relax a little bit, not a lot, but enough that she looks comfortable again. Another new sensation from the Witchblade, the idea that Sara might be told not to fight which in turn would mean he wouldn't be able to fight, real concern, real worry. His purpose was to fight for the protection of this planet and maintain the balance, and if Sara was told not to... it would put him at odds with his wielder and that would not do at all. "If it happens again, I'll report it," she then says. "Most people who don't understand this kind of relationship can't see from his stand point, and I'm not good with explaining it. He was created for a purpose that has changed over the thousands of years he's existed, and gods have a steep learning curve." Looking into the cup for a moment, she takes another sip. "It's not that I didn't consent Ms Carter, to him taking over," she finally says. "It's that it was the first time, unexpected, and... it's the not knowing what happened. He's promised not to block me out again, if it happens, so that's one step toward improvement, right?"
Peggy Carter	The older woman weighs this quietly, studying Sara, drinking in every inch of what the younger agent is telling her. "It should have never happened in the first place. But if you are certain, and you still consent to this, I will trust you. I approved you as an Agent in special circumstances... I've trusted you to handle leadership in the field. That doesn't... change. This is just leading another soldier in the battle. But you BETTER keep control. He sure as hell BETTER respect you, or we are going to reevaluate this relationship. Understood?"
Sara Pezzini	For a moment Sara's eyes look distant and there is a blank expression on her face and when the 'lights come on' in her eyes again she starts laughing. "Oh my god," she laughs, having to balance the cup on her knee. "You scare him!" Why this is funny is probably beyond Peggy, but Sara is talking about a god, who wants to face off against Michael in a one on one battle unafraid, and this mortal Commander of SHIELD scares him. Coughing, she regains control of herself but the smile remains. "That's a good thing by the way," she then offers. "Because it means he will take what you say seriously. I assure you, I'll report any change with him, and continue my work on catching him up to how things work in this world. I can't promise I will maintain control, but I can say that this was the first time in two years, so I don't foresee it happening again soon."
Peggy Carter	That information genuinely surprises Peggy for a moment, but then the first smile of the night crosses her features. It's quiet. Subtle, but it's there. She sits a bit straighter, shoulders squaring off as she looks Sara straight on. Part of her knows she's looking at Witchblade as well, and she will keep her command of this thing. "Well, good. I'm not always... frightening, but if he's going to fight with us, then he's under my command as well and he sure as hell better learn to follow orders. I've been doing this almost 100 years and I've commanded near gods, super soldiers, mutants, and aliens. You're both still my agents so... I'm glad he's starting to listen." Peggy lets her smile warm a bit more, "Now. Recommendations? Is there anything else you need from me, Sara? I... wish I could be out there on the front lines, but I've been told several times it's not a... Wise idea. So, anything I can do to support from here, I will. Just ask."
Sara Pezzini	There is no blank look this time, that is reserved solely for when Sara is concentrating on specific words Witchblade is sharing, or when he offers a vision of events regarding a person or location. All the same she is listening to him again, the smile on her face broadening a little. "He has decided that he will take commands from you," she finally states after that pause. "Now that doesn't mean he'll always cooperate in the moment, at least not at first, so I am asking for a little bit of understanding regarding his learning curve... but I will also tell you, you are the first person... ever, beyond me... that he is willing to listen to and take commands from." Sara honestly has no idea why Witchblade has taken this odd turn, this willingness to be commanded by a human other than her, he doesn't share that part of it with her, only his decision... but the one thing she does know, is if he says it, he means it. Peggy has earned his respect and admiration, and that was not an easy thing to do. "Right now I'm focused on keeping Cael focused on the here and now," she continues. "Not letting her get back into her head and climbing into a hole. Until I know the next battle plan from Sims regarding Manhattan, I have to stay out of the area, and I'm keeping Cael out as well. There isn't anything I need, but if something comes up I'll be sure to inform you."
Peggy Carter	That news about the Witchblade still keeps a quiet smile on Peggy's features. She'll take good news, especially news she agrees with, in a time like this. "Well, good. I guess... Let him know it's good to work with him as well. I suspect we've both spent a very long time dedicated to destroying forces of evil. Like... sees like. Especially in days like this." She gives Sara a slightly deeper tilt of her head, the motion meant for both Sara and Witchblade. A mutual acknowledgment of respect. Then they are moving onto discussing Cael. A deeper look of worry crosses Peggy's features once more, but she nods in understanding. "Good. I'm glad you're keeping her... Moving. Active. Company. That's good work. You all know where to find me if you need more things. I'm getting updates from Sims as well and he's been field promoted, so he has proper control of the scene. We... we'll get through this, Sara. We've been through... Worse. We have. That being said, if there is nothing else, go get some rest. You're dismissed."
Sara Pezzini	Sara finishes the last of her tea before standing. She doesn't like the idea of leaving a dirty cup in her bosses office, but she's not going to steal her bosses cup either. Setting it with the other dirty items she offers a nod. "Michael doesn't realize that he already lost," she states. "We still have numerous battles to get through, but he lost before he started. Humanity is a great deal more than he gives it credit for. If you need anything, and not necessarily relating to work, feel free to contact me. FOr now I'll go drag Cael to The Wok for noodles."
Peggy Carter	"Enjoy your noodles, Agent. And.. I must agree. We have this. It might take time, war always does... But we've got this. I trust you all in the field and anything you're missing, I'll get you. It's just a matter of time before we have another Victory day to celebrate." Peggy gives her one last smile and then escorts her to the office door, giving her shoulder a quiet squeeze before letting her disappear out into the hall.