6929/FLASHBACK: After The Dark

FLASHBACK: After The Dark
Date of Scene:	14 July 2021
Location:	6C - Matt Murdock
Synopsis:	FLASHBACK: Jess goes to check on Matt after his first taste of Cloak and Dagger's powers. Along the way she's exposed to the seductive powers of Director Furry.
Cast of Characters:	Jessica Jones, Matthew Murdock, Daisy Johnson

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Jessica Jones has posed:
The two young heroes that the Defenders met the other day, Cloak and Dagger, triggered all sorts of alarms in Jessica. Worst of all was the good look she caught of Matt after Cloak showed him his party trick. He was rattled. Matt never gets rattled. That worried her to an extent, and put her at half a mind to punch Cloak silly to another extent. Most urgently, was to follow up on that BS and check with Matt directly what in the heck happened.

So here she was, outside Matt's door, buzzing and knocking alternately. Yeah, she can be annoying when she wants to. "Matt, I know you know it's me, we need to talk."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt was home though he hadn't been to bed since he got back from the bar, sitting quietly in the living room while he hoped Daisy was able to get some sleep. The experience in the dark had been close enough to a nightmare he didn't want to relive it in his sleep, so he stayed up nursing his far too expensive bottle of 12 year old Macallan he kept around for special occasions. Or in this case to drown his sorrows and trauma.

The knock on the door has Matt turning his head towards the sound, "It's open," he calls as he gets up and gets two more glasses from the kitchen.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Rather oblivious to the ordeal that Matt had gone through just a few hours ago Daisy was going through a nice little sleep after an exhausting day at SHIELD, Director Furry (it's their cat) curled up by her feet and accompanying her in that sleep. Of course that the knock on the door, and the loud voice, is enough to wake up Daisy. The woman peers up from the bed, looking to her side where the bed is empty and then up to her feet. She wasn't even sure if Matt was in!

So as she pads over to the bedroom's exit and peers out to find Matt fetching glasses from the kitchen she arches a brow. "Long night?"

And was there a disturbance in the man's vibrations? It was subtle, but she felt something there.

Jessica Jones has posed:
At least there was one habit Matt picked up from Jess, whiskey has been her medicine and answer for pretty much everything. Worked much better than therapy or anger management, or whatever other BS people tried to push on her.

"I swear Matt, if you don't open the door I'm breaking it like it was my office door, you hear? I'm counting till 5," Jessica warns and soon the loud count down begins, except the "ONE!" immediately followed by, "mind your own fucking business before I come knock YOUR DOOR DOWN, asshole!" Yeah, a neighbor was complaining about the noise Jess was making, but they've quickly reconsidered.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt doesn't turn when he hears Daisy's voice, but he does smile his senses turning to her just as fully as if he had turned his head, making sure she was whole and healthy, the familiar tone of her vibrations soothing him as much as the whiskey ever could. "Yeah, you could say that," he answers before he ducks to the entry way and pulls open the door. "Come in," he says, getting out of Jess' way, grimacing as he hears Mrs. Rosenthal grumbling under her breath as her door closes down the hall.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Just before Matt goes to open the door Daisy murmurs. "Ah yes, I can already imagine the passive-aggressive note left in the lobby tomorrow morning." Yes, it was a thing. Mrs. Rosenthal did like to leave her notes when she wanted to complain about something. And she had a *lot* to complain about.

She lets out a resigned sigh and pads fully out of the bedroom, followed by a small cat that is still stretching awake.

Dressed in a simple t-shirt and a pair of shorts (and barefoot), Daisy makes her way over to the living room. "Macallan? This sounds serious..." a small frown touching her expression but then she walks closer to Matt, also getting out of the way of Hurricane Jessica.

One hand rests on the man's shoulder and she squeezes it. "Good evening, Jessica."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Smirking Matt says, "No doubt," Mrs. Rosenthal's notes were things of legend in the building and you could make a book out of the ones about Matt, Daisy and their friends.

Nodding Matt says, "Yeah? saw some things I didn't want to see," he explains vaguely before adding. "To a value of see anyhow."

"Hey Jess," he says to the PI as he takes the bottle and glasses to the living room and sits down on the couch and begins to pour. "So, who wants to start?" he asks the two of them knowing they both likely have questions and concerns they need to give voice to.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Walking in, Jessica waves at Daisy, "hi Daisy," she quips, but her real attention is...well the Macallan, if we're honest, but only briefly before focusing on Matt. "Okay....the fuck did that freak do to you, Matt? Do I have to end him, or are we good...? I've never seen you look the way you did after he showed you his 'trick' whatever the fuck that was..."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"I think JJ here has got the in on what happened so ..." And JJ does seem going full speed! So Daisy listens for the moment as she goes and puts on those first questions. She follows the 'gang' over to the living room, arms folding together and she resting her hip against the side of the couch, some concern showing on her expression for Matt.

Boxer though? The cat pads closer to JJ, sniffing at this newcomer before meowing indignantly at the intruder that disturbed it's sleep.

Eventually she *does* ask about it, "So, who are we talking about here?" her eyes going from Matt to JJ and then back. And she does reach for her macallan. For some reason she feels she'd need it.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt takes a sip from his scotch savouring it a moment before he explains. "We met some new people for the Defenders today, a pair of kids Cloak and Dagger. They've got powers, strong ones, Cloak could make me see what I'd guess I'd call a perfect life, Cloak made me see the worst possible one," he says attention drifting to Jessica with those last words, giving her the answer she asked for. "It wasn't pretty," he takes another sip. "But it was just an illusion, I'm fine," he says quietly before taking another sip.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jess reaches to pet the cat if it lets her, worst case it runs away from her, and leaves them to talk quietly.

"Some teenagers with weird powers," Jess explains to Daisey in a way that pretty much explains nothing.

Jessica laughs as Matt explains what Cloak does, "his powers will never work on me." Most would think Jess is boasting she's too tough, but in all honesty, she can't possibly imagine any variation on her life that could feasibly be dubbed 'worse', she is absolutely living the worst life possible. She truly believes that. Heck, at times she wondered if she was in fact dead and this was just her personal hell she's living out.

"So...what does the worst life for Matt looks like? Because I see you got the good stuff," she points at the Macallan without explicitly asking for a pour of her own. But you know, if someone were to think about her, she wouldn't complain.

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"Deadly combination ..." Daisy murmurs about the combo of teens with weird powers. It *never* goes well. Fingertips twirl the glass about slowly, not yet taking a sip, eyes moving to Matt and her brows furrowing. Was she curious? Well, she was more concerned than not but she wouldn't lie and say there wasn't a tingle of curiousness about it all, "You are not fine.." she tells Matt with all the certainty of someone who knows him. "But you will be.." and with Jess pointing towards the Macallan it seems signal enough for a glass to be given to her. Full! Matt had already taken care of filling up the glasses. "There you go.."

Next? She goes to sit down next to Matt, resting one hand on his, care evident.

As for the cat? The petting seems appropriate appeasing to having woken him up. But now he sort of wanders closer as if asking for more. Which means JJ just made a friend.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt doesn't look so sure about Cloak's powers not working on Jess, it shouldn't have worked on him as well as it did but there they were. "Everyone was dead and it was my fault, I couldn't stop them, the Kingpin, Nobu, the others, I couldn't stop them from killing you all," he admits before finishing his glass and reaching to pour another.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica certainly knows a LOT about teens with powers, and just how 'WELL' it can go. While listening to Matt, Jess goes about drinking the glass, the whole of it, in one go.

The cat clinging to her side, eventually gets Jess to get it on her lap for some pampering petting. She may not admit it, but she could probably use a companion pet to deal with her issues. "I'll hand that to Cloak's power, nothing would be worse for you than being the one to blame, for anything really. Didn't quite have to go to everyone dying, but I guess in a worst life imagined scenario, sure..." she then levels her gaze at Matt, reaching to press his hand firmly in a show of support, "that's not you. Matt. It's a lie, a fake, an illusion brought by dumb powers. You're the biggest fucking saint I know, and I don't believe in fucking saints."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
Well, Daisy will certainly drink to that, bringing the glass to her lips for a good swig before taking in a breath. And indeed, if anything could rattle Matt? That would be carrying the blame for the death of his friends. It makes her squeeze the man's hand tighter and nodding at what Jess says, "Damn right." this about being a saint. "And besides, you are not doing this alone, this is not for your shoulders to carry alone." the responsibility.

The cat continues to accept the petting, eyes closing and settling in on JJ's lap almost as if prepared to sleep. Hey, he's still sleepy! "Director Furry seems to like you." Daisy comments, offering a faint smile over to Jessica. "You should get a pet sometime too, JJ. One of the best decisions we made.."

Her eyes then going to Matt and she resting one hand on the man's shoulder, letting vibrations course through her, peaceful and appeasing.

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt's attention is on the liquid in his glass, the rich smokey scent of good scotch. "Yeah, it definitely got my number," he agrees with Jess about Cloak's power, before smiling weakly. "But then I guess using guilt on a Catholic is like shooting fish in a barrel," he attempts at humour senses sweeping over both women to gauge their reactions.

"I'm no saint, I just try to do what's right, but I stumble like everyone else," he says with a shake of his head. "And sometimes people die when it happens."

Still for all his self-pity the vibrations from Daisy are welcome and he gives her a smile. The cat and JJ gets a smile as well, especially when Daisy suggests Jess get one. He can guess how that'd go over.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jess lets Director Furry use her lap for a bed for the time being, caressing the cat with her free hand, she can now understand why bad guys do it. Very calming. "Well that's a first, people don't generally like me, maybe cats are weird." There's an immediate shake of Jess' head, "nah...I'm not a pet person, I'm not nurturing, I'm not caring, a pet will die in my apartment." Slash office, but who keeps track.

"I wonder what his power would do to a real scumbag, I mean, what would Fisk see? Himself in jail?" Jessica laughs it off, before muttering, "I wonder if he's just making people give up on life and that's how that duo survives. What a downer."

"Matt...get real, if you're not saint, I'm a fucking demon....surprised Lucifier or whatever the fuck his name is hasn't recruited me yet..."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
The Catholic joke has Daisy snorting and she comments, "Maybe you should try telling Sister Maggie *that* joke sometime..." bit of an attempt of diverting the man's thoughts to someplace more familiar. A better place. "Which speaking of, maybe we should go visit sometime soon.." she suggests, taking another small drink from her macallan before setting it aside. Uff, it's a bit strong.

"Cats don't need a lot of caring. They are the ones usually taking care of us. But .., just think on it." Daisy not pressing JJ any further on the matter. Just planting the seed! As for D. Furry he simply purrs contentedly and relaxes.

"Whatever those kids are doing with their powers I think they will need support, specially considering how powerful they seem to be." She says to the two of them with a small nod. "But I am sure the Defenders will be a good home for them." faint smile on her lips.

As for being a demon? "I am sure Mrs. Rosenthal will be calling you one on her note later this morning..."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
"I don't know, I figure people like Fisk have regrets and fears like the rest of us, but some of the people who work for him," he shakes his head. "They have no soul, not sure if his powers would do much to them."

He purses his lips in thought. "We should definitely look out for the pair of them, give them what help we can, I mean if they're going to be living on the street /and/ fighting crime, that's a tough life and they'll need all the help they can get."

"You're no demon Jess, trust me, you're a good person, even if you don't see it, we do," he says turning to Daisy for confirmation before adding more ligthly, "Director Furry sees it too."

Jessica Jones has posed:
"I can tell you right now Dagger's power terrifies me a great deal more than Cloak's, which, by the way, I still maintain will do absolutely nothing to me. It just can't. There's no way." Jess goes and pours herself another glass, which she immediately proceeds to down, the subject of how much Cloak's power wouldn't matter to her apparently touching something.

"He's a cat, what does he know...anyone who gives him pets, or rubs, or food he probably likes, no?" Jess asks, before looking down at Director Furry and muttering, "you whore."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"You are no demon." Daisy confirms with a nod before smirking. "And we aren't even bribable with food. Well ..., we are. Pettings are arguable and rubs depend on the spot." a wink and then she shaking her head a bit to herself. She lets out a brief laugh as JJ calls the cat a whore. "Oh no, now you are hurting him ..." not really, because he just purrs and continues relaxing, tail swishing from side to side.

The way JJ appears to be so adamant about those powers not working don't go unnoticed, Daisy furrowing her brows and squeezing Matt's shoulder. Perhaps a subject they should try to broach with the PI. "You have friends here, JJ. That should count for something."

Matthew Murdock has posed:
For what it's worth Matt can understand about fearing Dagger's power more than Cloak's. "What she made me see was... intense. An impossible life, everything I wanted, the people I wanted," he shakes his head. "Neither power really leaves you the same," he admits. "But Daisy is right, you've got friends, so this right here may not be a perfect life but it could be worse."

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jess gives Daisy a look, before smirking, and then turning her attention on the cat, "no he's not, he knows it's true, stealing all the attention like a pro..."

She looks at Daisy when she mentions having friends, she almost says something rude as a reflex, but looking over Matt, she sighs, "...I guess I do, because you idiots don't take the clue that I'm bad news. Honestly don't know why you're sticking with me..." she is then distracted by Matt stating what Dagger made him see, and Jess legit flinches, "if that bitch comes anywhere near me, I'm suckerpunching her...just as a heads up."

Jessica shrugs, "I don't know, I honestly think Cloak can't do nothing to me...but that Dagger chick, she can mess me up real good, I can't ever let her touch me...I'm serious."

Daisy Johnson has posed:
"So ..." Daisy lets out a chuckle. "One you are immune to and the other you won't even get close to you? Dunno, I feel like there might be some middle ground here." she reaches to pour some more macallan for everyone. Though just as she finishes pouring JJ's cup she tells her, "There's nothing wrong about aiming for more than you got, JJ." perhaps this about Dagger's power?

And she takes a big swig out of her refilled drink, relaxing back on the couch and against Matt, legs pulled up to her seat, sharing her warmth with the man.

"I think Jess here is totally a cat person, Matt. What do you think?" She is totally hardselling it about JJ getting a pet!

Matthew Murdock has posed:
Matt smirks, "Noted," he says about Jessica's reaction to Dagger. "We'll make sure you guys are at opposite ends of the room during meetings."

Though he smirk becomes a smile, when she says she doesn't understand why they like her, "You're a good person, Jess, like I said, sure you've been through hell and can be a pain in the ass, but we like you all the same. Face it, you're stuck with us."

Jessica Jones has posed:
"Hell no, there's no middle ground, I don't know what kind of space wizard gave Cloak that power, but that thing ain't doing shit to me," Jess keeps seeming adamant about that one. "But, her...what she got is a nightmare of a power, and yes, I'm terrified of it. What kind of sick bastard want to suffer through that bullshit?" Just thinking about it makes Jessica down another glass of Macallan.

"Aiming for more than I got...?" Jessica sounds hollow when she repeats those words back to Daisey, she looks stunned for a moment, and then puts her glass down.

And down goes Director Furry as Jessica gets up, rudely pushing the cat to the floor, "nope, not a cat person, me and pets don't go together..." she does laugh at an after thought, "....aiming for more than I got...you're an optimist, aren't you, Daisey?" Jessica asks, before laughing louder, "perfect match for Matt."

Taking a deep breath, she sighs, "...I should get going and not rain on your parade, have a great day guys. And thanks for the whiskey..." and no, she will not miss Director Furry, damn it Daisey! Not happening!