2656/Voluntary Overtime

Voluntary Overtime
Date of Scene:	01 October 2017
Location:	Josie's Bar - Hell's Kitchen
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Karen Page, Foggy Nelson, Emma Frost

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Karen Page has posed:
Karen had come in late to the office the morning after her 'incident' - not that she'd spoken of it. Just come in late, rushed into her seat in the office, and gotten back up again immediately with an "oh!" and gone to flip the coffeemaker on. And, because it was her excuse for being late, she put the cream she'd bought on the way to work in the small bar fridge in the kitchenette space.. Nothing was asked. So she offered nothing. Just carried on as usual.. Well mostly usual, as she'd a mission now. Two, really.

One: what had happened out there on that road? and Two: Who was Danny Rand really?

Closing time came, and Karen stayed late. The next morning, in early. And, again, stayed late. It became the pattern for the rest of the week.

Today, knee deep in files, she'd decided to take her spare change from the bottom of her desk drawer and eat a late night dinner at Josie's before going home to her apartment. Just her and handy stack of files sitting at a back table in the popular pizza and beer joint.

Foggy Nelson has posed:
Truth be told, Foggy hadn't even noticed that Karen Page was late. But the good news is that he hadn't noticed that he hadn't noticed. He liked Karen. She was a breath of sunshine in the void that was Hell's Kitchen. But he had been so consumed by the leak, the damage to some of their files, and of course, the Evgueni Galperine case he had been working so tirelessly on. The man had deliberately contaminated blood meant for a transfusion, but the 'victim' in the case, Alessandro Narducci, who had been sleeping with Mr. Galperine's wife Diana Galperine, refused the blood transfusion, because his religion forbade it, and this was after Diana had accidentally stabbed him, thinking it was her husband. Mr. Narducci died from his wounds, and that was the short version of this terribly complex case.

Ordinarily Foggy wouldn't have taken the case, but he came upon it by happenstance when he learned that Mr. Galperine's public defender was colluding with Mrs. Galperine's lawyer, as he was a former paramour, the male equivalent of mistress... and Foggy's head began to hurt. At a certain point, he needed to unwind, and there was no better place to do that than Josie's bar. He arrived, sleeves rolled up, jacket over his shoulder, smiling as if he didn't have a care in the world. But of course, it was an act, and anyone who knew him would see right through it. He was tired and he was frustrated, but he put on the act, because he figured he could will himself to have some fun. Spotting Karen, he walked up to her and offered a smile, "hello Karen, can I get you anything?"

Emma Frost has posed:
    Outside of the dinner a rather subdued type of vehicle rolls into the parallel parking spot and out of the passenger seat climbs a woman in a plaid flannel shirt over a white tank top with the front tied up in a knot. The blonde woman has her sleeves rolled up to above her elbows and she wears a pair of painted on blue jeans tucked into a pair of white and ornately stitched boots.

    The woman seems rather odd, out of place and unfitting via her classy ride, and her demeanor that she apparently owns the place as she steps into the diner and looks around before claiming a seat at the barstools.

    "Goodness I haven't been to a place like this in a very long time." She says to the woman behind the counter, and then continues before the waitress can even respond. "What's the fattiest food you serve here?"

Karen Page has posed:
There's a guilty little startle from Karen as her other boss walks in and rolls up his sleeves. Unlike Matt.. Foggy had no problems with his sight, and there, in front of her, were a wad of the firm's files. Most of them obviously connected to Danny Rand. Casually, she covers the topmost one with a menu.

"Oh, hey boss. I was just waiting to order. Feel up for pizza? I can chip in?"

As she speaks, the latest arrival to Josies - certainly not a regular - wanders in and asks for menu suggestions of the waitress who looks slightly flabbersgasted by the question.

"I beg your pardon? Our fattiest food?" She looks about like she expects someone to jump out of the woodwork and say 'gotcha!' and Emma to drop the classy act and join in the laughter. Only it's not a joke, and that's becoming clearer the longer the poor girl regards Emma. "Uh, people really like our wings? Half off at this hour if you buy a pitcher?"

Back at her seat, with Foggy nearby, Karen squints a little, head canting as she considers. "She's way out of her league here."

Foggy Nelson has posed:
Turning around to see Emma Frost, Foggy doesn't recognise her. It's dark. She's in an unusual setting, and very odd attire given her reputation, so he should be excused. Plus, from his vantage, he can't even see all of her face. But what he can see, makes him take an deep inhale of breath. Sure, he was a stocky man, far too close to his thirties than he'd care to admit, not as tall as he'd like to be, lived in Hell's Kitchen, and he was reasonably certain he was going to start going bald any day now, but when no matter who you are, every red blooded, heterosexual man, delusional as they may be, held onto the that one, sliver of hope that they, on their best day, might just be able to hold the attention of a woman like Emma Frost. Of course, today was not Foggy's best day. It never was. But he still held out hope.

The ironic thing about it was that his friend and co-worker, well, technically employee, Karen Page was and is amazing. But she was familiar. She was too close. If he ever made a play for her and it didn't work out, well, that'd be devastating to him, to Matt, and to the firm. Plus, he was too blind to see it. On the bright side, he didn't notice the files that Karen covered with the menu and he wasn't thinking about the Galperines anymore. Oh wait, and now he was thinking about them. Why are fantasies always so fleeting?

"Hey now." He held up a hand as he focused all of his attention on Karen for the moment. "In here, I'm just plain old Foggy," he immediately regretted calling himself old. "And one of Josie's pizzas," he feigned disinterest, leaning his head back, "I don't know..." and then he patted his stomach, which wasn't nearly as flat as Matt's, "If you're going to twist my rubber arm, why not? I've been itching to try their new stuffed crust pizza. How about a Meat Lovers?"

Looking back at Emma, he now recognised her as she had shifted into some better lighting. His eyes grew wide with recognition, "what's Emma Frost doing in a dive like this?" It was a dive, but it was their dive. They loved Josie's and she was far from their regular clientele. If Foggy could get her as a client, that would solve so many of their problems. Of course, even in the unlikely event that he managed to pull it off, would Matt go for it?

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma nods at the woman as she looks over and plucks up the menu and begins to peruse it looking for more treats she might enjoy.

    "Yeah, lets do the largest amount of wings you can make for me, and a pitcher of beer sounds wonderful." Emma says with a kindly smile as she places the menu down on the table and turns her attention around towards Karen and Foggy. She seems to have heard her name from the man not whispering quietly enough, but it's easy enough to tell as she turns to face the two co-workers and lifts a finger to her red painted lips. Giving Foggy the 'shh' motion. That is before she gets up off the stool and moves to push Foggy deeper into the booth seat and she sits down next to him.

    "Who are you two? I would guess a couple on a date, but that's /way/ too much paperwork for a young couple."

Karen Page has posed:
The Waitress shakes her head at the 'biggest plate you have' and doesn't even try to explain they sell them by the pound. She's pretty sure it will be lost on the woman. "Sure thing, honey. I'll get you a bunch. Any sauce you like, or should I just throw some containers with and let you pick?" Given the regulars, Karen and Foggy, Patsy isn't even going to ask what to put in the pitcher. If Emma's sitting with them, that's what they'd order. She doubts Emma cares about the finer points of what's on tap.

At her table, Karen gives Foggy a quick grin. "I still always picture you in a trench coat and Dick Tracy hat whenever I call you that. Foggy, then." Her smile turned upon Emma, though she's laughing. "Me and Foggy? No. Just my boss." Not that he's all that bad looking, but like Matt (who literally was blind to all things Karen), things just never seemed to go there. Which might be just as well. Office romances and all and what would she do if.. Her nose crinkles as she stops herself from walking down that road. She wasn't quite ready to give up some romantic notions. Even if they were impractical. "Join us?"

Foggy Nelson has posed:
Foggy is notably flustered when Emma turns her gaze on him, and it's made all the worse when she engages, shushing him, moving to join them, and push him deeper into the booth. He can feel her thighs against his own through their clothes. He wasn't prepared to be sitting between two beautiful women. And with his looks, in this place, if they didn't already know him, they'd probably think he was a pimp or something.

Swallowing hard for a moment, Foggy has to collect his courage, and fortunately, he does have a spine. "The lovely young lady beside me is the finest legal assistant in New York, and I am Foggy Nelson of Nelson and Murdock. It truly is a pleasure to meet you." The funny thing, he wasn't making that up. He genuinely felt that Karen was a legal assistant, in ability, if not in education, and she was that good.

When Karen mentions the trench coat and Dick Tracy, Foggy curls his mouth as if he were smoking a cigar, raises a hand to mime taking it out, and says in his best film noir voice, "here's looking at you, kid." Sure, he was mixing Casablanca with Dick Tracy, but he was always thought of Casablanca when he thought of trench coats. Karen had even once caught him doing an impression when he thought that he was alone in the office.

Emma Frost has posed:
    "Thank you!" Emma says, lifting her voice towards the waitress and patting Foggy's thigh before she stands up after his answer and the moves around towards the opposite booth.

    "That's probably best, office romances tend to be the most firey, but fires also burn down anything they're trapped within." Frost says as she nods to both Foggy and Karen in kind, taking note of their names and storing the Nelson Murdock name in her mind for future use.

    "It's nice to meet you Karen. I am Emma Frost, if your boss-friend hasn't given you the full information. Which, his slack jaw and Casablanca impersonation leads me to believe he hasn't." Emma teases from across the table leaning forwards and plucking up another menu to double check over.

Karen Page has posed:
Patsy just shakes her head. "No problem, hon. That's what they pay me for." A quick call back to the kitchen has a full three points of wings on the go, and the woman grabs a pitcher from the bar stack and sticks it under one of the most popular spigots, pulling the handle back and letting the amber liquid pour down the side of hte tilted pitcher to achieve just the right amount of head.

At the booth, Karen scooches over until to go further would be to hang half her butt off the edge of the seat, or leave, so she settles, instead, with being pressed up against poor Foggy who she's quite certain is hitting on Emma, who she's equally certain is playing some sort of game of incognito. Which should bother her more than it does, given her most recent encounter with folks pretending to be something they aren't.. though Emma seems harmless enough, lighthearted and fun in her play. The quality of deceit is different.

Foggy's praise of her gets a light touch of her hand on his arm, fingers a casual and unintended linger there. "You're too nice. Both you and Matt are." She explains to Emma, "They're amazing lawyers. My job is pretty easy because of that." Which isn't entirely true. But she does love her job, so even when it's hard, it doesn't seem such a chore.

Foggy Nelson has posed:
"Uh, yeah," Foggy regretfully concurs, and for the moment, considers the implications of an office romance with Karen. It took his mind off the Galperine case for a moment. But then Karen brushes against him as Emma shifts positions, and poor Foggy. He has the company of the two most beautiful women in the joint, and he wonders if either of them even knows he exists? The touch of his arm though was a nice touch, but far too fleeting for his tastes.

"We do our best," Foggy continues, presenting himself and the firm in the best possible light, while also being honest and open. "Which is really the most anyone can ask of a defence attorney; we provide our clients with a vigorous defence. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. In the end, we do everything we can given the eccentricities of the case." And that got him thinking to the eccentricities of his current boggle. It was enough to drive him to drink. Fortunately, beer and chicken wings were on their way.

Emma Frost has posed:
    Emma lowers the menu and covers up the paper work once again. "You need to stop working so much and enjoy each other's company, this is the only time you will be this version of you." She says to the two of them and just then Patsy shows up with the boxes of wings and several types of sauces covering the boneless wings.

    "I hope you three brought your appetites." She says kindly while setting down the pitchers and some glasses in turn. To which Emma smiles kindly before pulling one entire box before herself after unfolding a napkin and covering her tight jeans with the piece of paper.

    Before taking a bite Emma asks something that's been on her mind. "What's the long term goals for Murdock and Nelson?" Saying it wrong on purpose and possibly testing Foggy's reaction.

Karen Page has posed:
Well, that's awkward. Karen can't precisely slam her hand down on the files to cover them up - WAY too obvious. As it is, she barely gets the small jolt of panic she has under control as Emma exposes her files to Foggy's glance (and Karen isn't yet convinced it wasn't a way for Emma to check things out herself, though to what end, the woman doesn't know), instead correcting, "Nelson and Murdock, actually." Her hand falls away from Foggy's arm as the menu is put back and the wings are brought over. It gives her an easy excuse to tuck the things away in her satchel. Some day she'll be able to afford a briefcase, but today isn't that day. Letting Foggy handle the more technical question, always at the ready to beef up his answer if needed.

Foggy Nelson has posed:
Part of Foggy wondered if Emma was bulimic, and part of him wondered if she was a mutant with a super metabolism. She mustn't eat like that very often to have a figure like hers. When he eats healthy, it barely makes a dent in his weight. He really should join a gym, but where would he find the time, plus, exercise hurts. Why was life chalked so full of hard choices?

Foggy was about to pour himself a glass of beer, and had his hand on the pitcher's handle, when Emma asked him about the long term goals. Did they even have a mission statement? Sigh, another thing that they had forgotten to discuss.

"Uh," he cleared his throat, trying to buy some time, "well, our firm was founded with the goal of providing help to those who honestly, couldn't afford it. I know, it's not the best model, financially, but everyone's entitled to a stringent legal defence. As we grow, and we will grow, we hope that we'll never lose sight of that. Someday, it would be nice if we were fighting the good fight with the big boys on an even playing field, while having branches throughout the country, scattered across the impoverished areas, catering to the needs of the little guys, and gals."

He was glad that Karen corrected Emma, though he often felt that Matt was the better lawyer. If Matt had his sight, and didn't have so many issues, he'd probably do circles around Foggy. At least that's what Foggy believed. He did his best to pick up the slack whenever needed, and ended up doing the lions share of the work, but that was only because he could. He had the time. He didn't have doctor's appointments, or old friends visiting town, or any of the other excuses that Matt seemed to have.

Emma Frost has posed:
    "Ah, so you really don't have one." Emma says, just before taking a huge bite of chicken and mulling it over for a while as she seems to eat like she hasn't eaten in a week.

    A subtle moan escapes her throat as she savors the initial bite and flavor of the wing before holding out her cup for Foggy to fill up to wash down the chicken.

    With a smack of her lips and a subtle gasp she slows down and looks over to Karen. "What would you say the benefits of working for the Nelson and Murdock lawyer team have awarded you?" Emma's blond pony tail swaying slightly with the twist of her head.

Karen Page has posed:
"Actually," Karen speaks up, "it's slightly more structured than he's making it out to be." She gives Foggy a glancing smile, her attention turning back to Emma. "Nelson and Murdock prides itself on balancing a mix of high profile clients with probono cases that benefit the community we live it. We take the advantage that clients who fall into our portfolio of management allow us to represent at the highest levels of law, while also living a mandate of community betterment. It allows people like yourself to get the best representation they can buy with their money, while also maintaining a low profile. Which also allows you to participate in strategies that you might not otherwise be able to without the media circus."

Her smile never wavers as she pours three points from the pitcher, leaving only about a pint left in the jug. "We're aware that for some the media circus that surrounds them is not to their liking or advantage. In this way, we all benefit. I doubt you'll find better representation for your money, though some have tried."

Both Emma and Foggy are handed a glass, and she settles back with her own, taking a sip before reaching for a wing.

Foggy Nelson has posed:
Emma had Foggy dead to rights, but it still didn't sit well with him to be called out on the fact that they didn't really have a long term goal. He was also having trouble with her presence. There was just something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. The subtle moan as she savoured the chicken. The way he was pretty sure her booted foot had brushed his shin. Was she flirting with him? He must have been dreaming it. No one flirted with him, least of all multibillionaires who could pass for being a supermodel.

But then she turned to Karen, and his eyes followed the swaying of that blonde pony tail. He was intrigued by the question and eagerly awaited Karen's response. Hopefully, he didn't drop his jaw at Karen's fine response, but he was thinking she might be up for a raise because of it, especially if somehow they landed the Frost International account. She acquitted herself and the firm brilliantly. In truth, he gave her a bright smile, though, there might have been the tiniest bit of drool on the corner of his lips. But taht could have been because he was still holding the pitcher of beer.

Licking his lips as he let go of the pitcher, allowing Karen to pour a glass for each of them, and when given his, he took a bigger gulp of it than he would have liked. He could use the drink, though, it might not make for the best impression. It was so hard to tell. Sight or no sight, Matt was always so much better at reading a situation. It was darned annoying up until Foggy decided to just go with it.

Emma Frost has posed:
    "Do you have a card?" Emma asks suddenly as she closes the box to her wings and stands up abruptly. She moves around to the end of the table and holds out one hand palm up with the box of wings under her other hand. The other boxes full of chicken wings are left on the table as it seems she's about to walk away without them. And yes she will pay for the drinks and food via her wearable technology, thank goodness for the future.

    "I will come to you shortly, I think I have something you might be able to help me with." Emma says, danging a bit of chum above the waters before she would saunter out, a bit of extra oomph in her stride.

Karen Page has posed:
Karen /always/ has cards. They're barely an arm's length of a reach away, and one is pulled out, and Karen writes on the back. "That's my personal number, in case you find yourself with any questions you need answered before you come to the office. Otherwise, feel free to drop on by and we'll see if both our needs can be met."

Unlike the napkin she scrawled her number on for Grant, Karen's printing is exquisitely legible on the card given to Emma. "It was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to making better acquaintance in the future."

Foggy Nelson has posed:
Foggy should have cards, and he usually does, but before he can even start patting himself down, trying to figure out where he has them, assuming he does have them on him, Karen has already pulled one out, written her personal number, and given it to Emma. And that, among all the other reasons, is why Karen Page is the best damn legal assistant in the Tri-State Area. Nelson and Murdock wouldn't be nearly as good, or run anything like it does, if it wasn't for her.

"Yes," he piped up, it was great meeting you. He would have gotten out of the booth and shook her hand, but he was at the far end of the booth, and there was no graceful way for him to close the distance in a short period of time. "It was wonderful meeting you. I'm sure we can be of great help to you, Miss... F." He didn't want to say her surname too loudly, as she was here incognito.

Karen Page has posed:
When Emma has gone, Karen shakes her head and sighs at her boss. "So. You two are going to have to find exta cash so that my phone bill stays up to date, because if I'm doing that on any sort of a regular basis, I have to be able to answer my phone."

She gives him a smile to say all is well, and leans in and kisses his cheek. "You're welcome, by the way."

Foggy Nelson has posed:
Foggy looks a little bewildered by the whole ordeal. "Yes, yes, phone bill," he remarks, still kind of lost in the moment. It made sense. He was fine with it. They weren't so bad off that they couldn't pay for her phone bill, or get her a company phone, well, maybe a new personal one, since she had been giving out her personal number to clients. And then she kisses his cheek, and he woke up from his thoughts, "oh, yes, very much, thank you so much. You, you did great, fantastic, amazing. That was incredible."

Karen Page has posed:
He's treated to another smile, this time a soft and gentle thing. Totally aware for a moment of her role in things. "What did you two do without me anyway? You need to work on your PR." There's no sting or ire behind her words though.

"I figured you were floundering a bit there. You might be a rebel with a cause in the courtroom, but that was not your best showing. You might want to run her by Matt before we get neck deep in negotiations. I was right, though, right? You were trying to court her business?"

Out of the blue, she remarks, reaching for a wing, "She's pretty. I can see why you like her."

Foggy Nelson has posed:
"Uh, well, actually," Foggy began scratching the back of his head, "we were only without you for about 12 hours," as they've known Karen since the day that Nelson and Murdock was founded. "And it was hell," he added for comedic effect. "For a while there it was touch and go. I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did without you." And back to business, "yeah, she's a billionaire, and her company does a lot of good work." As far as he knew, it was a terrific company with a great environmental record. Just the kind of company that Nelson and Murdock would love to represent. "She is? I hadn't noticed." He lied, but he was trying to play it cool, and failing miserably, which they both knew. He laughed.

Karen Page has posed:
There's a long line of laughter from Karen when he goes on about the horror of being Karenless. "Well, it was a good thing that I came along and saved your behinds." Not like it wasn't, quite literally, the other way around. "I never really thanked you properly for that, did I? I know I came to work for you and all, but I'm not sure if I ever said how much it meant to me that you both believed in me enough to do that. You saved my life."

A wing is slowly picked at. There are a lot of wings - which is okay. They reheat well, and will save Karen some grocery money, even if she accounts for sending some home with Foggy. "She's very pretty. And she sounds exactly like the sort of account we want to represent us." Represent us - not the other way around. "You should ask her out. Even if it's just casual for business. Can't hurt, can it?"