Security Sweep Trial

[Pietro Maximoff]

((OOC: This takes place a day or two after "The Diagnosis Is In" and all related threads.))

::Despite speaking with Jack about doing a security sweep together over a month ago, Pietro had not gotten to it until now. Between his concerns with Wanda, monitoring the news for kidnapping, and Rossignol's sessions with Uncle, and then his courtesy for the other man's relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, it had needed to be put off multiple times. He had heard rumors of an argument at one point, but it was hardly his affair, so he tuned it out. Life had its own pace here, and waiting for something was nothing new to Pietro, and so time, for once, had managed to slip away.

They had made the agreement for today a few days before his meeting with Samson, and had considered canceling it. But he was a man of his word, and he did not want to put it off any longer. Perhaps it was sympathy for a man's boredom.

However, he was in no mood this afternoon, and as he waited by the patio for the other man to join him, his posture was more rigid than usual. Worse, he was hyper-aware of it.::

[arcane]

((This is set the evening after 'Dragged To The Hospital'))

The dispute between Jack and Link had remained as private as possible. Jack had not spoke of it to anyone but Valerie, but unfortunately, gossip was something that ran like wildfire in a community such as the mansion. From the days they had spent awkward around each other, it wasn't hard for tales to start.

If Jack's mood had been lifted somewhat from their minor reconciliation, it had been brought down by today's visit to the maternity clinic. The bad news that his mental illness might be passed onto his daughter was a negative blow to start with, but to come only days after discovering he had been robbed of his first child made it more difficult to deal with. Link hadn't pried into his mood, aware the mentions of his father and his depression, coupled with the possible issues with the baby had left him into a somewhat sober state of mind.

Still, Jack had made plans to help Pietro scout the grounds, and he hoped that it would give him a break from the thoughts running around his head. He didn't want to bail out, and made his way out onto the patio a few minutes before the time Pietro had arranged. "Hey," he greeted straight forwardly as he arrived, trying his best to not sound too despondent.

[Pietro Maximoff]

"Hello," ::Pietro's voice was flat, as it had been since he had last left Samson's office. His hands dropped from where they had been, crossed over his chest, and he faced the other man when he approached. He appeared only in slightly better spirits than he himself was, and already he knew this would be an exercise in disaster.::

[arcane]

Pietro didn't sound too enthusiastic, but then again, did he ever? Still, he seemed less happy than normal, but Jack wasn't going to pry. They only just about managed to be civil. One wrong move and their tempers would escalate. "So, how do you usually go about doing this?" he asked, turning his head to look over the grounds for a preliminary scan of the area.

[Pietro Maximoff]

"I start around the mansion, then move out in circles counter-clockwise until I reach the lake," ::The lake was on the boundaries by the property, and from that and the woods served as natural boundaries.:: "Then I double back."

[arcane]

"Right," Jack replied, turning his head and managing to put together this mental path mainly through sense of smell than sight, since the mansion blocked a lot of the grounds from view. He could smell the lake at the back of the property, and was able to organise a mental map of the area with his senses. "Obviously, I cannot run at your speed, but if I see, hear or smell anything I shouldn't, I'll alert you. Should we go round the perimeter once together?" he suggested, so he could get a feel for it.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro nodded a single time. He was not in the mood to run at the moment, either, and so the slower pace would work fine.:: "Yes."

[arcane]

Jack nodded in turn at the agreement, stepping back to allow Pietro to lead his usual route.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro had not walked this route in quite some time, but he would manage. Stepping away from the patio, he took a healthy stride, moving along the back of the mansion, near the closest gardens and then around towards the side.::

[arcane]

As Pietro set off, Jack followed, quite easily matching the stride assumed. He fell into step besides Pietro, remaining alert, more so than he normally was due to the nature of this walk.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::While they walked, Pietro's mood was sour. He kept watch, although not expecting anything amiss today. That only brought with it more tension, his back forming knots, as Samson's words echoed in his mind. "Six security sweeps a day like clockwork..." He didn't do this simply out of habit, nor was his paranoia unfounded. Samson was wrong. He was not mentally ill.::

[arcane]

The tension was evident, even if not vocally expressed. Jack wasn't sure if he had brought this on, but he couldn't remember quite a negative mood during their last conversation. Still, he felt moody enough himself to not want to push his own problems. He kept his eyes scanning the grounds, which were begining to fall dark. That would be of no issue to Jack.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::Pietro did not mind the darkness; he was an outdoor person, had hunted for years, and was comfortable under cover of night. His senses were not enhanced, but he trained them to cope with surroundings. There was a sense of silence which came with it, that could be either sinister or peaceful, depending on his mood, or the mood around them. Tonight was not one of peace.

He strode beside Jack, along the sides of the mansion, the ivy-covered walls, around towards the front door and the driveway. So far, so good.::

[arcane]

Jack kept in stride, remaining in tune with their surroundings. As they passed the driveway, he looked down towards the mansion gates, recalling the first time he had met Pietro, and how badly it had ended. In a moment of genuine curiosity and a bid for idle conversation, he glanced back at Pietro. "Do you still have my gun?" he asked, the question seemingly random, so he belatedly prepared to explain if necessary.

[Pietro Maximoff]

::The question was unexpected, and caused Pietro to turn his head towards the other man. The gates, that might have triggered the question. Jack did not have the same memories of the mansion as he did, and so that would stand out in his mind, wherein Pietro's that association had faded quickly.

Despite himself, the night before he had taken one of Uncle's psychology texts and read through it, looking up the symptoms of each and every one of Samson's diagnoses. He remembered one that he'd spotted, which Samson had neglected to mention. OCPD. An inability to discard useless objects despite a lack of sentimental value. He shook off the thought.:: "Yes."