3130/Consultations

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Consultations
Date of Scene: 11 November 2017
Location: New York City
Synopsis: After Detective Gulliver's visit, Natasha seeks legal advice on how to stall her investigations. She rejects her own legal team's recommendations out of hand and instead consults with an outside firm -- Nelson and Murdock.
Cast of Characters: Daredevil, Shadow




Daredevil has posed:
    A handful of minutes past five o'clock and the city comes to life in its own way. The streets get filled with vehicles of nine to fivers seeking to rush out of the city, even as the sidewalks are filled with people leaving their jobs only to head to a bar or restaurant or some place to seek a moment of relaxation after a hard day's work.
    But for a man such as Matt Murdock, he often stays in later than normal. The hours drifting on as he catches up on what he's missed during the day. Such as now, with the stack of manila folders on his desk in the now empty office, with his hand lightly drifting over each heading as he seeks a particular one. A small shake of his head is given as he frowns to himself.
    Turning his head to the side he lifts his voice, "Karen?" Starting to call out to her to see if she's still in the office, but then instead focusing inwardly as he listens for the subtle tell-tale heart beat of the firm's executive assistant...
    Only for him to frown faintly as he hears the sound of approaching steps.

Shadow has posed:
    Clack, clack, clack. Heels, fashionably high. Extremely even steps, suggesting good sense of balance and poise. A woman, on the taller side. Very slow heart rate, the kind you'd hear in athletes or martial artists. A discreet knock on the door, and the first hints of an expensive - but not blatant - perfume. Someone rich enough to afford the good stuff, and confident enough not to feel the need to announce it loudly.

    "Mister Murdock?" ... Odd. The tone and timber of the voice suggests mid-30s, but the heartrate and movements suggest early twenties. "I'm aware I don't have an appointment, but I found myself in need of a consultation. I can make it worth your time."

Daredevil has posed:
    A faint flaring of his nostrils, barely perceptible, his head turning to the side. Her reflection is cast back to her in those red lenses as he sits up from his place in a rolling office chair. The desk beside him is most likely not his, perhaps discernible by the name plate in front of it being for a Ms. Karen Page. At first he might give the impression of curiousity, an eyebrow lifting slightly behind those glasses.
    But then his smile comes to the fore as he gains his feet a little slowly, setting the folders in his lap and his hand upon the desktop before him as he rises to his full height.
    "It's fine. I was just putting in a few extra hours." He touches a hand to his chest for a moment then extends it towards her across the desk. "You have me at an advantage, Ms..."

Shadow has posed:
    The woman's smile matches his own. "Cranston," comes the reply as the woman sits down with the body language of a thirty year old. "Natasha Cranston. May I assume you've heard of me, or should I summarize?"

Daredevil has posed:
    "Cranston... shipping? Import export?" He asks as he gestures her to one of the seats opposite him. He reaches back with one hand and takes a moment to find the chair he had just been in and pull it towards himself, then retakes his seat. His posture is good and straight as he leans forwards and rests his hands with fingers interlaced before him. "I'm afraid I just caught that one article in the Bugle."

Shadow has posed:
    A brief, refined chuckle, but well controlled as if trying to restrain more explicit laughter. "That would be the one, yes. In brief, while technically I inherited the majority shares of Cranston Multinational upon my parents' death, I've only recently returned from a ... sabbatical abroad." There is a flicker of emotion in her voice as she mentions the deaths, but it's well controlled. "In the interim, my uncle and legal guardian /technically/ held those voting shares, but as he was not, legally speaking, the proper family heir the board of directors tended to regard his directives less as orders and more as vaguely worded guidelines, with the awareness that if he tried to dismiss them they had various legal ways to stall any proceedings. This led them to take certain... Liberties." She doesn't spit the word. She barely even stresses it, even. But there's a carefully concealed snarl underneath.

    "Since my return I've been taking steps to rectify matters. One advantage of being the Cranston heir is that I don't *need* to justify any decision I make regarding the board, or the company's operations, and I've been cleaning house, so to speak."

    However, a few days ago I was approached by a police detective asking for permission to investigate a certain subsidiary. She didn't have enough evidence to justify a warrant, but she claims to have solid suspicions."

    "I'm almost positive her suspicions are correct, and it's probably only a matter of time before she /does/ obtain a warrant, but I want to stall her, if at all possible."

Daredevil has posed:
    The features of the man offer no insight into his thoughts, no window to his soul with those red lenses in the way, no micro tremors to perceive should that be her forte. Instead he listens quietly, his hands held together, his brow furrowing as she speaks of the fate of her parents, the sabbatical. Then he gives a small nod at the mention of liberties taken.
    But then they reach the moment she brings up the police detective. He cocks his head sightly to the side, hands unlacing as he does so, setting then palm down. "So you want my aid in... stalling a police officer from performing their duty?" He pushes himself a touch away from the desk, body language not exactly seeming to be amenable to the situation if that is indeed the case.

Shadow has posed:
    A pause. A breath. A sigh. "Mister Murdock, Cranston Multinational has, for the better part of a century, earned, enjoyed and maintained a reputation for honest business dealings. That was what the name - my family's name - stood for. During my absence, that reputation has been... /damaged/, by decisions made by the Board. I have been rectifying that, but... Matters are still in flux. There is a great deal of uncertainty on all levels, people wondering what I'll do next, whether anything I promised means anything. If this officer obtains a warrant and finds evidence of malfeasance on the premises of a subsidiary, anything I can say or do about it afterwards will sound, to the press and public at large, as frantic damage control to cover my failure to follow through on a promise made. It will also tell those who work for me that I can't keep my own house clean, that I don't have the ability to watch out for them. A great deal of confidence will be lost, right at a time when that confidence is sorely needed."

    "I'm not asking for a way to impede her duties or keep criminals out of jail; I have every intention of handing anyone guilty of crimes over to the authorities. I'm asking for a way to buy enough time that I can clean my own house. To prove that I can and will do so."

Daredevil has posed:
    Flaring his hands slowly, Matt Murdock lowers his head slightly as he turns his head. To those unfamiliar with him they might think he's looking away and turning his thoughts inwards as he gauges the situation. But instead he is listening, gauging... hearing that steady heartbeat of the woman who is entirely together and rather in control of herself. He listens to her breathing, takes in the faint scent of the air between them.
    His eyebrows beetle for a moment, then he turns back towards her, as if looking over her shoulder for a time. She believes what she is telling him, and she means it. So he tells her as much, "Ms. Cranston, I do believe you wish to do as you say." He rests his hands on the edge of the desk as he considers. "We are primarily a defense firm. There are perhaps other individuals that might be better aiding you. I'm sure the company has a team of counsels on retainer."
    But then he pauses, just a beat, before he adds. "But I have a few ideas of what might help give you some time and not damage their investigation nor the career of the detective. Those are two lines I will not cross. If needs be I can offer you a few recommendations for other attorneys who might be of more expertise in this area..."

Shadow has posed:
    "I am... Still /negotiating/ with my current legal staff," comes the reply. "I suspect more than half of them will no longer be on my payroll by the end of the fiscal year. They did offer several suggestions, none of which I intend to take. As you yourself said, certain lines are not to be crossed. That's /why/ I came to you in the first place. So yes, any input you might offer while staying within those lines would be appreciated."

Daredevil has posed:
    And then she has him, as easily as that. She can perhaps tell by the way he shifts his head slightly to the side and then draws his lower lip in between his teeth to chew on it absently as his thoughts are already racing ahead. His brows lift as he considers an option, but then he taps two fingertips lightly upon the desktop. A brief moment, then back to her he murmurs, "Very well, Ms. Cranston. We can take the case and try to give you the time you need."
    He starts to rise to his feet, hand extending towards her, "I'll need all the information you have available, all of the particulars. If you could have them sent over by messenger that would be ideal."
    Should she accept his hand his handshake will be firm, but unaggressive. Two pumps and then done once they release and then he'll add, "We'll do what we can."

Shadow has posed:
    The hand that grips his is delicate and shapely, and again the skin feels younger than it should. The grip is light, with an underlying hint of carefully concealed strength... And almost anyone less sensitive than him would probably have missed the gun calluses entirely. "Thank you, Mister Murdock," Natasha replies, giving him a smile he shouldn't be able to see. "I've already had my secretary prepare the information; it should be coming your way as soon as I give her the word. I hope you'll be able to help."

Daredevil has posed:
    Stepping around the desk, he picks up his cane from where it had been resting against the side of it. With that in hand he takes up a place beside her, his own smile given in return. "That's good, myself and my partner will get to work on it tomorrow and hopefully have something actionable for you before the close of business."
    His nostrils flare again faintly, noting perhaps the smallest hint of gunpowder residue... steel... oil... and leather? But just small small elements that come together to create the mental picture for him of the woman known as Natasha Cranston.
    He gestures with the uncurling of one hand towards the door that leads back out into the hallway. "Unless there is anything else I can help you with, Ms. Cranston?"