17924/Can't Do Law On An Empty Stomach

Can't Do Law On An Empty Stomach
Date of Scene:	13 May 2024
Location:	Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	Matt meets Ruth, who is looking for another job. He gets the idea that she has an insight into things that could be very useful to his endeavors and might be able to save some lives. There may be a job for her yet!
Cast of Characters:	Matthew Murdock, Ruth Aldine

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Matthew Murdock has posed:
The door to the building that houses Nelson and Murdock opens and a walking stick appears and taps around the step down onto the sidewalk followed shortly by a well-dressed man in a suit with dark red sunglasses concealing his eyes. That man? Matthew Murdock. Once he steps outside and the door wings shut behind him, he takes a moment to adjust his tie before turning and taking a few dozens steps until he's in front of the chinese restaurant.

His cane taps the sidewalk in a broken arc, pedestrians taking a wide berth around him so they don't trip over him. As he approaches the restaurant entrance, a kind-hearted passerby pulls the door open for him with a smile. "That's very kind, thank you," Matt offers with a polite smile and a slight bow of his head as he taps his way inside. The scents of the spices and meats being cooked inside were already filling his senses while he was making his way down from his office, but he never ceases to become overwhelmed by them when he steps inside the door.

His eyebrows raise over his sunglasses and he blinks a few times behind them as he adjusts to the onslaught. Once he's steadies himself, he makes his way to the counter to place his order.

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Within the Chinese restaurant itself, there is a young woman all dressed in monochromatics. (That way, everything matches!) Browns, tans and off-whites for the season is the color of the day. She stands at the counter for 'pick up', her head slightly raised as she takes in the scents and sounds. She'd been accosted by them, and more, when she'd walked in, but the //feeling// of food is much better than the feeling of fear that she finds on the streets, or passing alleys, or.. somesuch.

While Matt might sport a pair of glasses that ride upon his face, slightly obscuring his eyes and therefore all but announcing his current deficit (though the cane does help), Ruth has a piece of fabric that isn't tied around her forehead, no, but is tied about her eyes, covering her eyes. Is it a game? Is..

The addition of another (as foretold) has Ruth turning her head in the direction of the newly arrived, her voice soft and just a little bit hesitant, her word pacing more than a trifle strange. Just not //quite// right.

"It will give you, yes, no, do not eat that. It's bad. Cook did not wash it properly, I'm sorry. I would take the rice instead, yes."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
The woman's voice catches Matt's attention. The.... offness... of it slows his approach to the order counter, his head tilting only slightly as he tries to place what it is that seems not quite right. Maybe it's nothing. He's had a long day already and the grumbling in his stomach isn't helping matters.

Unsure of what it is she's referring to, he simply offers her a smile and a nod, "Rice sounds excellent." He turns his gaze to regard the person behind the counter taking orders, "I'll have a veggie fried rice, please." He fishes out his wallet and slips out his debit card, tapping it against the card reader and selecting a tip.

Once he's paid, he steps to the side to allow others to order, almost bumping into Ruth. "Excuse me, my apologies." He nods at her once more in ways of an apology to conceal the fact that he's mainly just curious about her. Studying her will make waiting for his order go by in a flash.

Ruth Aldine has posed:
The order gains a nod from the young woman, her sleek black hair gently waving in the gesture. "Thank you, it sounds excellent, yes." Ruth's voice is still quiet, but there is an undertone of knowledge and understanding. The hesitancy in her words isn't because she doesn't believe them; she's shy. Wary. Speaking up in the face of someone new.

But this someone new?

Ruth shuffles to the side, feeling the larger presence of the man, and in the process, making herself just a little smaller. She manages not to get stepped on by others, but it's just by her shifting at the right times.

There is silence from the blindfolded one before she chimes, "I'm sorry. He did it. He is guilty, yes. Please, there is one more thing that will be found, and she will be okay. No, please, she will be happy." Tilting her head up towards the lawyer, there is a fleeting smile, there and gone. "Thank you."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
The words the young lady utters drift into Matt's ears, the almost stream-of-conscious nature to them offset by the fact that there is some kind of context that makes what she says sensible. He senses that his crowding of her space has unintended consequences so he moves away from her slightly, making sure she has more than enough room to stand comfortably and without feeling overwhelmed.

"Her 'thank you' is met with a smile as fleeting as her own. It's only now that he looks at her that he sees the cloth covering her eyes. Fascinating. He speaks with a quiet voice, "What will be found?"

He isn't sure who this young lady is or what she's talking about, but he can't help the feeling in his gut (besides the rampant hunger). "Is someone in danger?"

Ruth Aldine has posed:
"Hmmm.." and Ruth tilts her head as if listening to something that is beyond even Matt's hearing. She shakes her head, and exhales in a long, soft sigh. "No, yes, I cannot. I don't know." If she forces it, it simply doesn't come...

Her own pint of pork fried rice is ready, and as the worker sets it down on the counter, he looks confused, hesitant as to where to put it exactly that she'll know it's there. She's paid for her food, and reaches for a spoon, her hand flicking through the plastic covered utensils before finding that which she wants.

There is a switch that is flipped, however, and now that she has her food, she takes a step back, her manner and mien seeming a little more 'present'. "Sorry, are you hiring? Yes, yes." The staccato of her words sound less questioning than they might seem. "I would like to be a detective, please. I am good, yes. Sorry.. yes, I am good, but I need to learn."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Okay. Matt is starting to understand this young lady, if only just a little. He pushed. She tried to answer him directly but it was too much. Got it.

When her food arrives, he steps aside to give her more than enough space to collect it and get what she needs from the counter. Then her sudden shift and her question catches him by surprise. His eyebrows arch upwards again and the corners of his lips tug into a soft grin. "Well, I so work in law, but I'm an attorney. Not so much a detective." At least publicly. While he wouldn't classify his extracurricular activities as 'detective work' per se, it's not too far off.

"I may know someone who could help out, unless you're interested in the more logistical side of law." His food is placed on the counter and he goes to grab a set of chopsticks to toss into the plastic sack that couldn't hold in the odors of his food if it was tied air-tight nad buried 30 feet underground.

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Ruth has her little pint box by the little metal 'handle', and she shoves the spoon into her pocket. She's ready to go, though she only takes a half step back to give Matt a little bit of room for him to swing his cane around for that added bit of space afforded it. "I am working for Ms Jennifer Walters, yes, thank you, and she is kind." Namedropper? Nope. Simply stated as fact. "But I want," and whether or not it's wasted on the blind man, it doesn't matter. She points in the direction of the outside, and further, the detective agency that is down the road, "to be, sorry.." there is a pause before, "Yes, to be a finder of lost." Ruthie hesitates again, but she doesn't elaborate on lost //what//, but instead, "and I can, no.. yes, I can help you."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt picks up the plastic bag with his food and starts tapping away with his cane. The swaying back and forth is kept minimal since they are in an enclosed space and he doesn't need to exaggerate his need for the assistance since he can very clearly 'see' his surroundings. He steps towards the door and when another kind person pushes the door open for he and Ruth, Matt offers another polite smile, "Thank you."

When they emerge from the restaurant, Matt glances over at the detective agency Ruth had motioned towards before. She wants to work with Jessica and is already working with Jennifer Walters. "Finder of lost," he repeats. He motions towards the door to his building, unsure if she can even see where he's directing, "You're welcome to come see what we have on offer." His head lowers as he considers the absurdity of working for Nelson and Murdock in their ratty old office compared to the likely high class office of Jennifer Walters. "Oh. My name is Matthew."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Like him, Ruth can actually //see// but, in a completely different way that most sighted can see. There are hints, cues, everything that are lost in the noise of the day to day for normal people, but are beacons of information to those that are free of such sightly distractions. It's just the fact that she wears what equates to be a blindfold rather than a pair of glasses is what gains some attention towards her. Her passivity, however, more than makes up for the oddness, and she is soon forgotten. A single, small blip on a radar, there and gone.

Ruth follows Matt out, and the change in environment is immediate and obvious. The smell of the restaurant begins to dissipate, filling instead with the scents of the city. Exhaust, garbage, the unique smell of tired buildings built turn of the (last) century all suffusing into one scent. A far cry from where she grew up in sights and sounds.

"No, no. Please. Not //with// someone. As someone." She wants her own place. There's a quick smile again, and she nods, coming into step finally with Matt.

"Ruth. Yes, Ruth Aldine." A frown quickly finds a place instead, her head shaking as if to dispell thoughts. "No, no please. It will be good. Fine. There is more here, yes. No, sorry.. so much more here." Perhaps her words are meant to dispell //his// thoughts?

"I have to, yes, yes, I have to go to school, too. I'm sorry. But, I can."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt gets the sense that she may be a lot like him in that she can more or less see her surroundings despite her condition, so he treats her accordingly. She doesn't come across as a blip to him, however. There's something genuine about her. Something endearing. Also something a little heartbreaking, although he doesn't linger on that feeling for every long. He's been treated delicately because of his condition and it's more frustrating than endearing to be treated that way.

"Ruth Aldine," he repeats her name. "A pleasure to meet you." She can likely hear the smile in his voice as he motions towards the entrance to his office's building, "If you would like, we can step inside so you can have your lunch in relative peace and we can figure something out." He steps over to the door and motions towards the series of buzzers to the side, specifically the one with a plain 'Nelson and Murdock' nameplate of paper behind the clear plastic. "This is us, in case you ever need to be buzzed in." He pulls out a key and pushhes the door open, stepping inside and holding the door for Ruth. "In which school are you enrolled, Ms. Aldine."

Ruth Aldine has posed:
Ruth is probably unlike anyone Matt has ever met. She lives half in the present, and half in that prescient, telepathic world that lays a great deal bare unbidden. All while 'broken' due to a massive psychic attack by her brother at the moment of his death by lethal injection performed by the State.

But everyone has a story, right?

She carries her bit of food by its 'handle', not worrying about it for the moment. She //knows// she'll have time to eat it soon enough. Once she gets her job.

"A pleasure, yes. Yes," and Ruth nods her head quickly and definitively, "You are right. It's a pleasure, thank you, to meet you. I've heard you." Doesn't she mean 'heard //of// you'?

The entrance door is gained without a faltering step; as good as any sighted. She does lift a hand to the buzzer setup, feeling the varied smoothness and bumpiness of the display. Nodding her head again, she lets her hand drop, "I see. Thank you. Yes."

Stepping in, Ruth moves to the side to allow Matt some room to maneuver and get out of his way for navigating. She understands fully the pressures and sensibilities. "I have finished, yes, yes, thank you, I have finished undergraduate studies, but wish to, sorry, wish to continue. Perhaps NYU? Columbia? Here in the city, yes, but I need work. Please." As if working for Jennifer wasn't enough? Pay is probaby quite good.

"But I need good work." There is a long pause, and once again, her head cants to the side, and her brows crease, wrinkling that blindfold for a moment, "Tonight. Darkness, on a corner. There are two, no, three. Silent." There, and gone, and Ruth looks up to Matt, "Sorry, yes. Law and doing good."