15488/Hot Summer Days

Hot Summer Days
Date of Scene:	29 July 2023
Location:	6C - Matt Murdock
Synopsis:	Jessica and Dinah both stop by Matt's apartment to seek a little legal help and advice.
Cast of Characters:	Matthew Murdock, Jessica Jones, Dinah Lance

---

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt Murdock is at home on Saturday. He's sitting on the couch going over some legal files. Boxer is lying on the couch beside him, getting an occasional rub, and the cat is headbutting Matt's leg when his hand is occupied too long by scanning paperwork, whether by touch or using a scanner that reads it aloud.

Outside it's a torridly hot day shaping up. Humid and sun and with some tropical system that brought a lot of hot air up from the south. New Yorkers are dealing with the heat in normal fashion. Opening up fire hydrants for kids, getting ice cream and Italian ices, or just hiding out indoors.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica Jones is _not_ at home on a Saturday, because how's she going to snap photos of her latest PI target from home? Sure, if she had a world-spanning surveillance system, or back doors to hack into street cameras and ATMs she could probably cut down on her legwork. But that's the kind of thing 'The World's Greatest Detective' gets to do, whereas she is merely New York's Surliest Investigator.

It comes with far fewer bat-shaped gadgets. But she does have a bus pass.

Which she's taken advantage of to cross the city and with great personal restraint has not /thrown/ a bus at anyone. Because Jessica Jones is on a mission. A mission to at least /somewhat/ attempt not to be what someone has no doubt termed 'A surly, isolationist curmudgeon'. Because she has friends! Well-wishers even! Ones who have spacious apartments that she's betting have AC that isn't 'Frozen peas bungie corded to a fan'.

Also, Matt Murdock can probably provide some legal services for her latest client who's going to find out her husband /isn't/ cheating on her. He's just a secret HYDRA asset.

Or, you know, he'll at least know a divorce attorney for her. Somehow all of Jess's lawyer friends seem to deal with criminal law.

Still, she finds herself proverbally and perhaps literally knocking upon the door of Mr. Murdock, looking... well, like she's taking the heat personal-like.

Which is fine. She takes a lot of things personal-like.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt Murdock tilts his head as he hears someone coming down the hallway and stopping at the door. "Sounds like Jessica," he comments to Boxer as he hears her footfalls.

Really, how does one make surly sounding footfalls anyway!?

Matt slips back into a folder the paper he was reading by feeling the printed ink letters, and drops the folder on the coffee table. He rises, giving Boxer another little pat as he crosses over to the door.

It swings open. "Hey Jess. What's going on?" he asks as he steps aside to make room for her to come in. The apartment is reasonably neat. Even with Matt's senses it still helps to keep it mostly free of clutter.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica makes surly sounding footsteps by kicking her way across the ground. Or at least she'd say so if anyone asked. But no one asks. Which, really, is probably for the best.

She does her best to look cool and collected and like she was expecting the door to swing open smoothly like Matt was expecting her. Which... trying to look unphased in font of a blind superhero is /all sorts/ of weird to consider which is why she decides not to consider it and instead clicks her tongue in a dismissive little noise, "Hey, Matt. Got a... client for you? Referral? I dunno. Took a job, was supposed to be the usual snap some photos, get proof the guy was stepping out thing. And he /was/ stepping out... just... you know, to some HYDRA lab that was working on..."

She trails off and sighs, "Some kind of robot? I don't know, I didn't really ask what it was supposed to be able to do before it uhh... fell apart. On its own. Totally."

She rummages in her jacket pocket, probably just in a bit of show since there doesn't seem to be anything in it /but/ a small manilla envelope, "Got the client's contact info here and a memory card with the pictures, so she needs a divorce attorney. Figured if you don't handle that kind of thing, you probably know someone who does."

She clears her throat softly, "So! How's... things?"

She's so good at socializing.

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance did not have the surliest of footsteps. She certainly walked with *aplomb*, her heavy boots sounding in the hall outside. Maybe not surly sounding, but confident. Forceful.

Really struck a contrast with the dainty knock that follows, before the door itself swings open, and in steps...

Dinah. She wasn't just rocking the leather jacket, but the whole Black Canary shtick right now. Fishnets, one piece with corset - black boots all the way up to there... and judging by the bruises (and blood) at strategic places on her outfit, she had a little bit of a recent encounter.

"Matt! I need your help like..."

Dinah pauses, glancing between him and Jessica.

"... now," she says. "Unless you already got a client, uh... hi Jess!" she says. Cheesy smile, little wave of her hand and all.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt Murdock's head tilts to the side a little bit as Jessica describes the happenings of her case to date. "Are you sure I'm the right one for this? And not, say, Captain America or someone?" he asks. He's half joking, though with that mostly monotone delivery of his it can take knowing him a bit to pick up on it.

"I gather someone dealing with Hydra is in the know already? Or did you want me to bring that part up with Daisy?" he asks. "Of course I can help her with divorce proceedings. We don't usually get involved in those kind of cases unless they involve getting someone away from someone abusive or... um, evil," he adds.

He pauses as he hears more footsteps in the hallway. Waiting and finding they are coming to his door. The voice and the scent of her identifies Dinah for Matt. The sharper scent of blood has him a little concerned. "Are you ok?" he asks her. He motions her inside, and closes the door behind once she's in. "What happened?" he asks.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica might not have super hearing, but she's got /normal/ hearing, so she can tell there are footsteps approaching. Any attempt to pick up the subtle characteristics of Dinah's gait and approach are washed away when the blonde appears in full costumed glory and dark eyebrows are popping up for a moment before everyone's favorite boozy investigator is trying to look /not/ surprised.

Her lips quirk in a helpless little grin she just /can't/ fight off enough to hide entirely as she murmurs dryly. "A lot of that going around. How's it going? ...I mean, in general, you know, clearly you just said you need help. I /can/ pay that much attention."

She rolls her eyes and snorts, "Sure, Captain America would be great if we just needed this doofus punched in the face, and some speech about eating his vegetables or... buying war bonds or something. The client just needs someone who can fill out the court papers for 'I want to divorce my husband because he's a crazed scientist criminal.'... which, okay, I'll admit, maybe Captain America /can/ do that too. I mean, yeah, if you want to let Daisy know so they can like... track down the rest of the shady stuff, sure. I just uhh... /watched that robot fall apart/, I didn't like... track their entire organization down or something."

And then she's sweeping her gaze back to Dinah and nodding, "Yeah, what's up? Do you need like... legal advice Matt help, or 'We need to bust some heads' help? I can /totally/ do one of those."

Dinah Lance has posed:
"Who, me?" says Dinah, blowing a lock of her blonde hair out of her eyes, a spark in the same. "I'll be fine. Just the usual," says the woman, taking a couple steps in.

Blind as Matt might be, Dinah quirks her attention towards Jessica, and there was a smirk there. He might hear it in the tone of her voice, "Legal help, mostly. *Your* help I might ask for in sharing some bourbon when all this is done," she says, waggling her fingerless glove-covered hand in the air, the metal studs at the end shining brightly.

"Like... I know it's Gotham, but..." she begins. "What if you happened to chase someone into a part of town that you weren't supposed to be in?" she says. Her face draws, and she winces. "And you... uh... accidentally..." she draws that word out, "...broke a scumbag's kneecap riiiiight behind city hall?" A beat more.

"Like, in how much trouble am I if I just so happened to be spotted doing that?" she asks.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt takes the documents from Jessica. "I'll give her a call. She's expecting to hear from Nelson and Murdock already, right?" he asks her. "And she knows the situation already, you've given her the results? Or do you still need to break the news about her husband to her?"

He sets the packet aside and turns back to Dinah. "Well, it could vary a lot by the situation. A lot of scumbags won't go to the police if the were in the middle of something illicit. There is some coverage in New Jersey for vigilantes if you were stopping a crime, also depending on whether you've registered with the or not," he says.

Matt hesitates. "And of course there is the, can they trace it back to you? In costume, or out?" he asks.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jess's eyebrows shoot up and she sighs out, "Well, I /suppose/ I can help with drinking bourbon. I've heard I've got a bit of a knack for it... and people /do/ tend to be less upset than when I help with other things... you throw /one/ mugger onto an apartment roof and suddenly everyone's worried..."

Jessica's mouth works silently as Dinah goes on about her particular woes that have brought her to Matt's for advice. "Oh! So you /do/ know what that's like..."

She flashes a wan little smile to Matt, "Oh, she's got the information, she knows /some/ lawyers will be calling her, I told her I'd make sure they were good people. Her husband's uhh... not really an issue for now. He... fell down some stairs. Angry angry stairs."

She shoves her hands into the pockets of her jeans, hips rocking back and forth like a teenager at the principal's office who /knows/ they know she was causing trouble.

"I mean, that's a good alibi. 'No no, it was some /other/ knockout in fishnets. Maybe one of the Rockettes visiting from NYC' right? I'll back you up. I'm a great alibi."

Dinah Lance has posed:
The big issue was... Dinah tended towards the Clark Kent school of disguise. That is to say...

She wasn't tremendously disguised. At all.

But a domino mask went a long way right? Right?

"In costume, at least," says Dinah, with a wayward shrug of her shoulders. "But I don't know how well I do with the whole... you know... public enemy number one thing you and Batman and others tend to do," says the blonde, lifting her shoulders in a shrug.

What Jessica says makes her laugh. "Sounds like a tragic accident to me," she says, the edges of her lips lifting in bemusement.

"And now that you've been thoroughly ambushed with sudden legal issues, Matt - how are *you*?" she asks, the tension in her shoulders already sliding free again.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt Murdock's lips pull back in a small grin. He motions the two ladies over towards the couch. Boxer, an adorable Russian Blue young cat is still lying there on the couch, eyeing the newcomers warily. (https://i.imgur.com/nl0L5qp.png)

Matt heads over to the kitchen then, moving for a cabinet where he keeps a bottle. He doesn't always offer it right away to Jessica, as she's had a few stretches she's decided to go without. But this sounds like a time they could all use a drink. "I'm doing pretty well. The practice has been pretty busy. A lot of people out there in need," he says in his quiet-spoken, deep voice. He brings three rock glasses, offering them around before pouring two fingers for each woman, and a finger for himself.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica nods solemnly to Dinah and sighs, "Yeah, I mean, that's got to be tiring. Also, like, you need a certain amount of grim, dour stoicism to /really/ inhabit the public enemy slot. I don't get how the bugle thinks they can make Spider-Man a public enemy, he wears such bright colors. I'm pretty sure you can buy unlicensed ice cream treats of him."

As Matt heads towards the kitchen, Jessica takes a few tentative steps couch-wards to offer fingers to Boxer, curling and flexing them and generally trying to draw his attention and put out a vibe of 'I am neither food nor enemy'.

And despite her reputation, Jessica /sips/ at her own glass once it's offered and filled, nodding her head. "Well, at least none of us has been busy with..." She frowns thoughtfully, "You know, I'm not sure /what/ the last world-threatening calamity was? I might have missed a couple."

Dinah Lance has posed:
"I just don't got that!" exclaims Dinah to Jessica, throwing her hands up. "Nor do I get such interesting cases like the one you had. That must feel good to hmm... take care of," she admits.

The cat was approached, and - well, Jessica was offering hand cat-wards, *and* Jessica was invincible or something, so...

Dinah lets her lead the charge there.

Accepting the glass, Dinah closes her eyes, and snaps her head back, drinking the finger in a single draw, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she feels the burn of the same, drawing her fingernail along the side of the glass afterwards.

"Oh, I have no idea," says Dinah to Jessica. "If I can't scream at it, I don't want to deal with it. And aliens and magic stuff... that's not stuff I wanna deal with."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Boxer sniffs curiously and then will accept any headrubs that result. And should they not result, he isn't shy about headbutting a hand to induce them to be given.

"I'm glad we have the Justice League and Avengers for dealing with those sorts of things. And hopefully any more invasions stay away from New York," Matt says as he takes a seat again and sips sparingly from his glass. "Though what are the odds of that?" he says with a quiet sigh.

"I'm not sure that it is worth trying to get ahead of," Matt tells Dinah. "Could just make it worse potentially. If it does go public or the authorities get involved... well, we probably need to see what happens before really even considering something there. For now you might just want to make sure you have gathered any evidence on the incident, what led to it that the scumbag was engaged in criminal behavior, that sort of thing."

Jessica Jones has posed:
There's a bright grin from Jess, "Hey! If you want to get into the PI game, I'll show you the ropes. They're mostly metaphorical ropes, but I mean, I get the occasional job down there even working out of NYC."

Jessica continues her brave work at befriending Boxer with one hand and letting out a low noise as Dinah instead leads the charge in hard drinking... but hey, if she's not the /first/ person to just throw her drink back, it's okay right?

Which is how Jessica winds up throwing back her drink while petting and lightly rubbing Boxer's ears as she sighs out, "Yeah, it'd be nice if aliens decided to menace... Peoria or something. Give us a break. You'd think HYDRA invasions and alien armadas would /lower/ the rent prices."

She nods at Matt's entirely reasonable advice, "He's right. Also, even if the police decide to look into it... chances are in the next day or two there'll be some ridiculous new themed criminal to distract them and they'll lose the file in their backlog."

Dinah Lance has posed:
"Yeaaaah," says Dinah. "That whole evidence thing... less fun," says Dinah. "That's why you hire PI's right?" she says with a wink towards Jessica, the flush of the alcohol working through her otherwise pale skin. "*And* lawyers," she says, with a nod of her head towards Matt's direction. "Alright, though, alright," she says, finding a piece of furniture to lounge upon the armrest of, folding one fishnetted leg over the other for modesty's sake as she swishes the now-empty glass about.

"I'll calm down, and not panick about being arrested tomorrow," she says, bemusement ticking up the corners of her lips.

"We'll instead worry about the Avengers being busy when Thanos or someone decides to level the city."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt Murdock lifts his glass in a small toast. "Here's to hoping there's big guys with hammers and iron suits around when we need them," he says with a slight grin. "While we take care of the rest." He takes a sip of the smooth whiskey after, letting out a little sigh.

"Let me go give Daisy a call and see if she wants to get the details on that Hydra group that you had nothing to do with dismantling," Matt says, the words directed Jessica's way. He sets the bottle down for them to refill with at their leisure as he heads off to the bedroom to be able to talk on the phone without interrupting them.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica rolls her eyes and sighs out, "Yeah, I mean, that or sometimes people just know you own a camera... I swear someone once tried to hire me to take /wedding photos/ like it was a way to save money or something. But I have a /variety/ of impressive talents, Ms. Lance!" She flashes a grin and winks right back.

She snickers and grins, "Hey! If they put a warrant out for you, you get to lay low, crash on someone's couch or whatever. Just look at it as a potential for /unique adventure/... and, you know, if they /do/ nab you, use Matt as your one phone call."

She bobs her head to Matt, "Yeah, give me a ring if she needs anything extra, or you know, if you guys need my particular set of skills. I offer /extra/ reasonable rates for clients with AC in the summer. Because I'm generous like that."

Dinah Lance has posed:
And with everything wrapping up - Dinah unfolds her legs, standing up afterwards. "You know he'll be my first call from the prison," says Dinah with a wink. "And if you need someone who is a little bit of an outsider to help you all take on Hydra, well..."

"I find kicking assholes therapeutic, luckily," she says with a wink.

Leaving the glass on the tablet beside, she steps towards the door.

"Likewise, give me a ring if you need someone kicked," she says.

"Or if you need flowers. I *do* do those too," she says, the edge of her lips lifting up with a wry smile.