3293/A Phone Message, Not Voicemail

A Phone Message, Not Voicemail
Date of Scene:	09 September 2020
Location:	6C - Matt Murdock
Synopsis:	Claire and Matt touch base over a lot of things -- a new kitten, exhaustion, worry about Jess. Elektra. Mysterious cellphones.
Cast of Characters:	Matthew Murdock, Claire Temple

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Matthew Murdock has posed:
Evening in 6C is generally when Matt transitions from one job to the next, trading one suit for another. In this case Matt is in his suit for his evening job minus the helmet and gloves, checking over his batons, while a small grey kitten watches him.

The rest of the apartment is empty for a change, Daisy working late at the Triskelion, something about some agents going missing. He didn't ask questions about her work at SHIELD. Otherwise the apartment was the same somewhat spartan place it always was, just with a few more technical touches thanks to his live-in hacker girlfriend.

Spinning his batons in his hands, Matt sticks them into their holsters and reaches for his gloves, about ready to start the night's patrol.

Claire Temple has posed:
It wasn't too long after Claire encountered the other woman from Matt's past, but she did have a handful of hours of sleep to get and some cleaning up to do, so she's lucky to just catch him before he disappears out into the night. And, just perhaps, it'd be nice to see him once in a rare while that he wasn't in danger of bleeding out on her couch.

The quiet sound of her steps down the hall, headed for his door, herald her first. The familiar, slight clap of crocks on tile floor. Not the most lovely shoes, but practical. She's headed to work soon, not leaving, so she doesn't smell like the hospital yet, but the light lavender detergent she uses, soap from the shower, and leftover Indian she had for dinner. While knocking is probably unnecessary, it's still polite. She raps more gently on his doors than she would others. "...Murdock, you home? It's me..." And she's carrying a cellphone. In a ziploc back. The strangest thing about it all.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt's hand stops short of grabbing his helmet, smiling as he picks up the familiar footfalls and scent in the hallway a half-second before the kitten's ears picks up someone coming, as it lets out a little mew and makes its way towards the door.

Matt grins inspite of himself and calls out, "It's unlocked, Claire, and make sure the kitten doesn't get out," he says, before heading to the door himself to greet Claire.

Claire Temple has posed:
"...Kitten?" Well, that just made this visit a little more pleasant. She reaches down, carefully opening the door with her foot and cellphone holding hand getting in the way of the bottom half, just in case a little gray fuzzball decides to try and make a break for it. "...When'd you get a cat?" She asks with a little bit of a reassuring laugh. It's hard to be bemused and a bit mysteriously frustrated when a kitten is involved.

She shuts the door behind her and, out of sheer polite habit, slips out of her crocks before padding farther into the room on socked feet. The little mew is enough to drop her blood pressure a few points, breath coming easier and entire body just slightly untensing as she drops to one knee, "Well, hello there, sweetness..."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
The kitten does make a break for the door, but with his cat like reflexes not fully honed, he slips on the wooden floor and tumbling forward. Matt grins, even as he sweeps over the kitten with his senses to make sure he isn't hurt. "About a month ago now," he says. "Daisy and I got him because she felt the place needed some life, and it was a chance to see her dad more often," he says. Though how much Matt mentioned of Daisy is a question. He tended to be tight lipped about personal matters, case in point with Claire's recent encounter with Elektra.

When Claire kneels Matt smiles, as the kitten makes its way over to nudge at Claire's hand and mew. "His name's Boxer," he says with a wry smile. Because of course it would be.

Claire Temple has posed:
"Of course it is." Claire echoes, smirk audible behind her tone. But she's happily allowing herself to be a little distracted by the feline, fingertips scritching gently under the gray chin and letting it bat at her hands. "God, you're cute. Don't let your dad teach you any tricks. He's... quite the trouble maker." Claire deadpans, before finally unfurling from her kneel and gazing back over to him.

"...Daisy... that's the... gal you've been seeing? And she knows about all... this?" She motions towards his outfit, no longer surprised to see him in it, especially if the city has gone dark and he's not been out yet. She knows the patterns. Even if, after a year, she sounds no more thrilled by them than at the beginning. Any tension the kitten helped her release quickly returns as she studies his body, trying to be sure he's not still nursing any older injuries.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt grins at Claire's reaction to the name. "I'm trying not to get Melvin to make him a suit to go out and fight crime with me," he jokes about teaching the cat new tricks. "Besides I think all the good cat names are taken."

Boxer mews as Claire stands before stomping back off towards the couch to go find a place to curl up and watch things from afar.

"That's her, she pretty much lives here now except when work keeps her late," he says. "And yeah, she knows, actually she was the first person I ever told about all this, we grew up together, then the day before I started putting on my black suit and doing this thing for real we met up, talked, she was going to do something crazy, so was I. We sort of connected, even if it did take a little while to figure things out."

Claire Temple has posed:
That makes Claire smile for a moment, looking across the apartment to take in the few changes that the hacker had left. The touches of home that simply weren't there before, kitten included. "Well... as long as she knows. Looks like she's... maybe, actually good for you. Another reason to keep yourself in one piece. Since the previous ones weren't working that well."

She then crosses the room, settling into the edge of his couch. Still near the kitten, because it's hard not to visit the new baby, but once she's settled, she rests the zip-loc bagged cellphone on the table. "I...ran into an old friend of yours. *Matthew*." The way Claire says the word, the slight roll of his full name, is a near emulation of Elektra's voice. "Interesting woman."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
"I haven't been that bad," Matt protests. "Only bled on your couch once last week," he says with a grin. "But yeah, trying to stay as safe as the job allows, but it's getting dangerous out there," he says a tiny bit of trepidation in his voice.

There's no mistaking how Claire says that name. "Elektra," he says, with its own weight of history, almost like an outrush of breath. "That's one way to put it," he says with a wry twist of his lips. "What did she tell you?"

Claire Temple has posed:
"Only once." The worry in her voice is mirrored by her heart. The very sight tension in her breath. Claire knows him -- knows him well at this point. Not to the level of best friends but not very far. Not after this many wounds and half sleepless nights listening to him breathe. She knows the trepidation behind his tone. Her exhalation is slow. Quiet. It wasn't a time to fight about that.

"...Yes. Exactly. She said 'Matthew, it'd be good to have it unlocked, so we can follow up on a certain case we've been working.' I pulled it off a man who tried to kill her with two of his friends. Not far from this building. She... handled them rather neatly. I think she baited them there. She...looked like a drunk girl leaving a bar." Claire does her best to explain the strange evening, still not quite comfortable with it all.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt nods for Claire to take a seat, grabbing one for himself and reaching over to pick up the phone in the bag. The worry doesn't go unheard in her voice and he offers as reassuring look as he can muster, "I'm fine Claire, really. I'm trying to gather some new allies and a few old ones to deal with what's going on right now."

He nods about the phone. "Daisy can probably unlock it," he says, before setting it back down. "And yeah, that sounds like one of Elektra's moves, did she kill anyone?" he asks, concern returning to his voice.

Claire Temple has posed:
"No. Not that I could tell. She was... Angry. Probably wanted to. But one of them got a knife pretty deep in her shoulder and I thought it better to get her out of that. She's stubborn as the rest of you." Claire states in a tone of voice that is partially fond, partially, simply exhausted. She's clearly feeling it too, these days. Double shifts and then someone else on her couch two or three times a week. Word had gotten around. She doesn't remember her last full night's sleep.

Her fingertips come forward, lazily stroking across the kitten's back, daring to steal a few moments of comfort in the late of the night. "...noticed a few of your new allies. Jess called me the other week. And some guy who... well, best I can tell, that mask is surgically implanted into his face. Weird as hell."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
By the way Matt nods what Claire tells him of her encounter with E tracks. "Probably more stubborn than most, prideful too," he says, though it's not entirely a criticism there's some fondness in that tone as well. "I take it she was okay, after you patched her up?" Concern though creases the corners of his eyes.

"How are you holding up?" he asks.

"Is Jess okay? I should probably visit her, I'm passed due." The other one gets a surprised look from the blind man. "Must be a word of mouth referral, don't know a guy like that. He give you a name?"

Claire Temple has posed:
"Fine when she walked out my door. I'd have preferred she stayed but... seems she has enough money to get a better doctor if something went wrong, so I wasn't going to fight her on it. Worth checking in on Jess. She's..." Claire gives a tired bit of a laugh, curling her legs up beneath her, "A bit smarter than some of you boys but still... stubborn." Claire was more worried about Jess than Elektra, the undertones to her words clear by now, as was the simple tension behind her breath. She had no ability to lie to him.

Which means, her next response is a blatant lie. But it's one of the ones everyone tells, generally for the comfort of other people. "I'm... fine. Everyone keeps warning me this is... dangerous. But it's not near as bad as what you're doing out there every night." While there's a part of her that is scared, she's really too exhausted to even process it. Body fighting against every night she drives further into sleep debt and, from the smell of her, she's directly on the way to work after this. "...The... Question? The guy was real dedicated to his secret identity."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt barks a bit of laugh, "Well she has money for a doctor anyhow, not sure about better," he says. As for Jess though he nods, "That's definitely one word for her," he says, with a fond smile for Jess. Like he was talking about a favourite sister. His expression gets a little more concerned though as he asks, "How sober was she at the time?"

Matt nods, "True, what you do is safer, but you got to keep your eyes open and your wits about you, which means you need to get some rest from time to time," Matt says, with a faint smirk at the role reversal.

"The Question? Haven't heard of him. Sounds like he was... interesting."

Claire Temple has posed:
A skeptical brush of a grunt escapes her throat as he advises her to get some rest. Claire just smirked deeper, a slight shake coming to her head, "When you all go a week without nearly getting killed, maybe I'll get some time to catch up. There's still several million people in this city, hundreds of which nearly get themselves killed a night. So..." She sighed and slightly shrugged. She also didn't quite answer the question about Jess. Yet.

"He was... about as determined and stubborn as you. Had enough injuries that he definitely had been in a fight, and probably one where he knew what he was doing. He'd not have survived, otherwise. The mask...face... thing was... Weird. He wouldn't explain. He likes what you are doing, and a few others of us. Maybe an ally. Maybe." Claire's protective, wary tone, however, says she's not willing to bank money on trusting him yet.

The last, more concerning question, makes her exhale quietly. "Jess..." She sighs, looking from his blind eyes to the kitten at her side. A more pleasant distraction. "Not sober. I mean...probably sober for her. Drinking mostly through it. She's an alcoholic, Matt. I know them when I see them. I can... *smell it*, after all these years. Also means she's not going to listen to a damn one of us about it, either."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
"I wish I had an easy answer for your situation, but I can't sit here and say take a night off when I know I've gotten out of bed after patrol when I heard someone scream, or gone three days without sleeping burning the candle at both ends. I'm not that much of a hypocrit. But seriously Claire, do try to rest when you can. We need you, but we also need you able to function. You're important," he reaches out and if she lets him he rests a hand on her shoulder.

"Sounds like I should definitely check this guy out, always good to meet a fan," Matt says, dryly. "Figure out what side he's on," though he does laugh a little at the name "The Question?" asks the Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

"Yeah, she is," Matt says without any hesitation or judgement. "And I know she won't listen, I've seen my share, but I try to be there for her, talk to her, try to lighten her load, not sure how much good it does, but I know confronting her about it is the wrong move. It'd just push her away." He looks a little pained thinking about her. "I'm not sure what sort of hell she's been through, but I can tell it's a lot, I can feel those PTSD reactions sometimes, still despite all the pain and the booze, she's still a good person, I have to admire her for that. Not sure I'd be the same in her shoes."

Claire Temple has posed:
The touch at her arm, probably the first time she's touched someone who wasn't injured or sick in some way in far too long, gets a quiet breath from her. She doesn't exactly lean into it, but she doesn't pull away either. Claire just brings up a slightly calloused, tired hand to wrap over the back of his. The weight of a touch that understands, but also doesn't have much of a choice. She'll take the distant comfort for a moment, at least. She doesn't argue with him, but she makes no promises to rest either. The comment of her importance just gets a skeptical huff of breath, but no words.

Jess, however, gets a worried frown. As Matt lays out how much he's put together, she drags in a deep, thoughtful breath through her nose, mentally putting a few other pieces into place. "...she's putting herself through a lot of hells. Maybe I can... get her over for just a night to... relax. Talk. I don't know. But it's shit to go at that stuff alone. I...I know that much."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt can feel much what that touch means by the way Claire responds and makes no move to pull his hand away until she's ready. He knew what it was like to go through life without a comforting touch. When he started this vigilante business the closest he really got was Claire patching him up and so it was only right to return the favour now that she needs it. He doesn't press about the sleep thing, just gives her a concerned but understanding expression as he nods his head.

"That might be a good idea, I bring her lunch sometimes to discuss cases, but mostly it's just to make sure she's eating and has someone to talk to other than her clients. But getting her to come over and relax sounds like a good idea. She could use more friends."

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire lets that touch linger for just a few heartbeats longer. She had work. He had patrol. Falling asleep on his couch was the last thing she needed to do and the weight of his hand against her shoulder was enough to make it almost tempting. "I...I'll give her a call. Should check up on her anyway. Tomorrow. Tonight..."

Claire sighs, squeezing fingertips one more time and then shifting forward to unfold from his couch. "I dropped off the phone. Hands are... washed of whatever messy business you and ELektra are in. Helping people who get in tight spots on the streets? Sure. I can get behind that. Baiting three guys into a fight in an alleyway? They'd never have been there if it wasn't for her. I...don't like it."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt nods, finally pulling his hand away, sensing it was time. "Good," he says of calling Jess. "And I'll check on her during work hours tomorrow, see what I can do for her."

"She has a different way of doing things that I do," he says in what might be the understatement of the year. "She was trained to kill. But that she's not is a comfort, she's got good in her it's just a little buried." He seems confident of that. "Anyhow thanks for bringing me the phone and for letting me know about Elektra. I'm sorry you got tangled up with her though, even if you were able to help."

Claire Temple has posed:
His words about Elektra, or maybe it's his tone, draws a slightly longer look from her. Claire might not have near his abilities to hear, but she's got excellent instincts and come to know him somewhat well over the last year. She arches a single brow. "Matt. I... I have no clue what you and this Elektra had, but... don't let her get you caught up in it again. She's not worth being sweet on and..." Claire motions a bit to his slightly more dressed apartment, "It looks like you got a good thing going on here. Don't... Don't mess it up." Maybe she's read it wrong. She doubts.

"Get some rest eventually, tonight. I...I'll see you around." With that, she leans down to scritch the kitten's neck one more time. Then she turns on the ball of her foot and steps back over to her shoes, slipping them on to head out into the night. "Be safe." Usually the last words she said to him. The tiniest bit of good luck charm she can ever give.