4094/Green Beer and Wings

Green Beer and Wings
Date of Scene:	18 March 2018
Location:	Unkonwn
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Daredevil, Claire Temple, Elektra

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Daredevil has posed:
St. Patrick's Day, so of course the offices of Nelson and Murdock closed early so all three of its employees could hit up Josie's for chicken wings and questionable green beer. It had been a good time even if Foggy had wheedled Matt into wearing a 'Kiss Me I'm Irish' shirt. Apparently, it was part of his wingman duties. Matt took it with the silent suffering of a good Catholic but when the plan changed to a bar crawl, Matt begged off, he had 'work' tonight, he was running on about 30 minutes sleep, plus he'd sent a text to Claire to swing by if she wasn't working, he had news about the clinic.

Grabbing a beer, he makes his way through the packed bar towards that all-too familiar booth, in his defense it had been the one Karen and Foggy picked out when they got there. Sitting down again, he takes a sip of his beer, real beer from a bottle, not the green swill spewing from the tap tonight, and waits, taking a moment to rest while he does, despite the crowd of people milling noisily around him.

Claire Temple has posed:
It's a little while before Claire arrives. Josie's is a fearsome environment, particularly to one in the healthcare field, Claire reflects as she dodges an arm swinging a glass full of what might be beer but looks much more like something she'd see at work. Some sickly green substance lightly splashes the floor as the nurse turns to the bar and starts her tab with a (generally safe, oh boy, please) bottle of Guinness. She gratefully accepts the bottle from Josie -- seriously, does the woman never even say hello? -- and makes her way back to the booth where she sees Matt Murdock nursing his own beverage.

She regards the lawyer for a moment before she sits down, giving the wood on the side of the booth bench a quick rap before she does. "You're not looking your usual upbeat self, Murdock," she says. "Busy... celebrating the holiday?"

Daredevil has posed:
Yeah, a lot of the folks here at Josie's are frequent fliers at the ER and are all likely going to be showing up tomorrow for another 'flight' judging by the mood of the place and amount of beer being consumed.

The knock startles Matt out of his reverie, "Oh, Claire, hey," he says as he brings his attention back to his senses bringing the room and Claire, back into focus. He sets down the beer. "Glad you could come," he says before he catches up to what she says, and smiles. "Got a start on it," he says with a gesture at his t-shirt, "But I have to work later," he says. "Hopefully you don't, got to imagine, tonight's going to be pretty busy."

Claire Temple has posed:
"Overnight can have it," Claire replies in a voice that has no compunctions about leaving others to suffer in a place she's escaped. "I'm on an early second shift for two weeks. But it'll be busy, yes," she says, fiddling with the bottle cap in her fingers as she looks at the t-shirt and tries her best to hide her silent laughter from Mr. Super Senses across the way. She clears her throat and gives him a (very lightly) stern glance. "Don't tell me you're working tonight," she says in a low voice. She hums. "Don't you rotate off overnights every so often?" Quirked eyebrow. Nurse glare.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt's smile suggests he heard the laughter and agrees with completely. "Foggy's idea," he says. It was a common refrain from him, just unlike tonight, it wasn't always accurate. "Apparently, he thought it would help me wingman," he says with a little shrug and a sip of his beer.

"Busy night for my job too," Matt says, he can't see the glare but he knows Claire and her tones to hear it in her voice. "Besides, rotate it off with who? Can't imagine Jessica is up to it, right now," like the detective needed it to be St. Patrick's Day to drink to excess. "Luke's in California still, and Danny's busy," he says checking off boxes on the list. "It's all on me," he says without a shred of irony, "Anyhow, I'll manage."

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire takes a deep sigh and collects her thoughts with a pull from her drink. "Danny's always busy, and Luke's in some serious hot water when he gets done at Disneyland or wherever the hell he's enjoying the sunshine right now," she allows. "But Jess? Jess will swear forever that she's not up to something, but she doesn't necessarily let that keep her indoors." She points at him. "Try asking. I *dare* you."

She rolls the base of the bottle around against the tabletop for a moment. "So what else is going on?" she asks. "You said you had news about the clinic?"

Daredevil has posed:
Matt rubs a hand through his hair. "Yikes, guess Luke's going to be glad of his unbreakable skin when he gets back," Matt says, before another sip of beer is swallowed. "And I'm fine Claire, really, we can let Jess drink in piece tonight, besides, she's sort of threatened to punch me," he says, leaving it there to extend the suspense, smile playing on his lips.

"And right, the clinic, talked to a client about it, Natasha Cranston, the head of Cranston Multinational Shipping, she's at least interested in finding out more about the project, should be a good backer, did a lot of good during The Outage."

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire snorts and drops her head for a second. It's not surprise... no, Jessica Jones just needs a few words of polite medical encouragement. Yes. Completely routine, or at least she hopes not. "Punching," she says, her voice flat. "As your medical care provider, I may need to break HIPAA to discuss whether she's hazardous to your health," she notes, her own smile beginning to play up. Beginning. She's not up to resetting anyone's facial bones, least of all Matt Murdock's.

"Shipping company should be a great funding source, sounds excellent." She pauses with a soft hum. "Is she up to the... more... this clinic would represent? I mean, I send supplies around town, sure, but that wouldn't be the basis for running a clinic for... local public safety outreach," she says, slowly choosing her phrasing.

Elektra has posed:
She might not have taken such care with her dress on any other night to head to Josie's but tonight Elektra knew the place would be elbow to elbow with drunks pretending they were Irish, as though they needed an excuse to drink. Still, it wouldn't do to come in sticking out like the sore thumb she already was likely to be...

No, tonight the designer clothes have been left home in favour of things more reminiscent of her casual university days. Tight fitting jeans; a svelte tank top that ran from waist up to neckline into a choker of a collar, the front angled in from just below armpit to the collar. A pair of ass kicking CFMN boots that rode to just above her knees..

Fine. She still stood out, but at least tonight she looked like almost any other young woman on the prowl, only, you know, better. Because in oh, so many ways, Elektra was better.

She doesn't even look when she enters. It's like a sixth sense. She knows he's there. And for the moment she doesn't care if he's alone or not. Lips curling over a smile, she holds up two fingers to Josie, twitching one of them in a fashion that the woman behind the bar must understand and suggests Elektra is a regular here given Josie's nod and turning to pour.

Elektra glides through the packed bodies in the room, barely brushing up against any. It's uncanny how she does it. Slipping into the booth at the last moment beside Matt, because given the fact she's now seen he has company, and given a choice of the two, Elektra would much rather watch the woman he's chosen to spend his evening with.

"Well, well, well. What have we here."

Daredevil has posed:
The funding comes first, "I doubt they'd have too much of a problem with you sending supplies, and as for the other thing, well, those patients are just patients, that keep very odd hours," he says. "As far as the books go, there shouldn't be anomalies," of course that ruled out using the place as something of a base of operations, waaay too many legal issues there. "Hm, though if we plan do more than getting patched up there, might have to go the Danny route, either way, expect a call."

Then he finally talks about the job with Jess, even as he can smell Elektra's scent and hear her too calm heartbeat. "As for Jess, well I'll put it this way, every marriage has problems, especially when the husband mixes up the name of their imaginary child," he says chuckling as he takes a sip from his beer.

He does his best to look unfazed, when Elektra invites herself to their booth, and sits right down beside him. But the sudden tensing of his shoulder gives it all away. He breathes a sigh through his nose, "Claire, this is Elektra," he struggles to find the words to define just what Elektra and he were to each other. "We dated in college," he settles on finally.

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire has just finished coughing on her last sip of beer -- mixing up the kid's name, really, Murdock?! -- when Elektra slides into the booth across from her. It's disorienting enough to note the woman's regard, but she is perhaps more taken aback to watch Matt's reaction to the situation. Whatever's going on, her business can clearly wait.

She blinks a few times and looks back and forth between the two, finally cocking her head to look at Matt while her eyes flick to Elektra. "In college?" she asks after a short beat. She coughs lightly. "You know, most people who date in college... ah..."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra's lips purse over a line of mirth, waiting for Claire to cough up words. Any words.

"They what? Fuck? We did that too. We're all friends here, aren't we Matthew?"

Not that Claire can see it, but Elektra rests the palm of her hand neatly upon his thigh. "You didn't tell her? And what's this I hear about you forgetting your child's name?" Oh, that was rich, and Elektra gives a soft chuckle of a laugh, the sound in a low alto register. Rich and pleasant. Her drinks arrive: A non-green beer, and a shot of whiskey. Elektra murmuring, "The tab is on me."

Then turns her head back to the table and sits, expectantly, knowing one of the two of them is going to get uncomfortable long before she tires of this.

Daredevil has posed:
Oh the urge to get up and declare, 'I'm not doing this' is real, but that means getting past Elektra in the first place, so, Matt stoically resigns himself, to whatever this is for now.

"Really?" he asks when Elektra goes there. He shoots her a frown and then looks to Claire. "You'll have to excuse Elektra," Matt says to Claire. "She has an issue with boundries," he says, picking up Elektra's hand and putting it back in her lap. "And it was an imaginary child, long story," he says not filling in the details.

And hey, he has beer left, beer is suddenly very interesting right now and Matt focuses his attention that way finishing the bottle.

Claire Temple has posed:
"Boundaries, huh?" Claire asks, her voice dry. "I wouldn't have guessed that," she says, her right arm swinging wide across the table's finished top to take her own beer to a spot closer to the wall.

She looks at Elektra again and pulls up her shoulders a little to plunge on. "I was going to say, they only rarely stick together past college," she says, more lightly than matter-of-factly. "College must've been quite a time." She watches Matt's laser focus on his beer and puts on a sly expression. Oh, St. Matthew, indeed...

Elektra has posed:
Elektra pouts as her hand is returned to her lap. Though the gesture is patently fake as she reaches for her whiskey.

"I have plenty of boundaries, Matthew. And had I thought the word would offend you.." She shrugs, her voice drifting off suggesting she'd have used it anyway. Her whiskey downed in a single swallow, the glass turned upside down on the table.

"Go on, Matthew. Since I lack boundaries, how about you tell the tale? Or do we all want the Coles notes version?" Claire is regarded calmly. "No. They rarely do stick together past college. Though if you were expecting me to throw a jealous fit of rage, you'd be disappointed."

Daredevil has posed:
The laser focus on the beer comes to an end with Matt making a decision. "You know, I can't see that pout right?" he asks Elektra reaching across her to claim her beer. The display, pretty clearly states Elektra whoever she is, knows Matt's secret.

As for the rest of the crowd at Josie's they're all too drunk to notice.

He takes a long sip of this beer too, before he rolls his eyes behind his shades at Elektra's words, before he says to Claire, "Well, you're not wrong," and to Elektra, he says, "And Claire and I, we're," he looks to Claire, "Work friends?" he half-asks, have suggests.

As for the story of his and Elektra's relationship. He doesn't supply it, which leaves Elektra the chance to do it. Well, they don't call him the man without fear for nothing.

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire takes another sip of her beer before she nods. "Work friends," she says, pursing her lips and rotating her other hand up in a small shrug, deflecting the notion of jealousy in any quarter of her own. After a quick sip to finish off her bottle, Claire puts the empty off to her right and crosses her arms to settle in and listen to Elektra's rendition of... well. "Please," she says. "I'd love to hear how the two of you met." She smiles simply, radiating welcome, although she hopes Elektra's ears aren't like Matt's.

Elektra has posed:
Elektra calmly allows Matt to take her beer, neatly reaching over and snagging his beer, since he has hers now.

"Work friends?" Elektra arches a brow. "You don't have work friends, Matthew." But Claire is considered now. "I know you're not the detective. Which means you must be the one who sews such neat stitches." It's not really a question. More a statement of fact.

"As for what we are or how we met, you're a coward, Matthew. And I don't own you. I believe we've beaten the horse of us to death."

The words are emotionless. Too emotionless.

"He crashed a party I was attending. I was moment away from slitting my own wrists out of boredom when he walks in, wearing a cheap assed suit and even cheaper cologne. Looking like he was an apprentice busboy. And so surprised when security inserted themselves between him and the rest of the patrons at the party, politely asking him to leave." She smiles at the memory, her features softening in remembered amusement. "I told them he was with me."

It's not the entire story. Like why she was there in the first place. Or why she'd said he was with her. But it's enough of the story. The romance of the thing. The thing that didn't include the wounds they'd given one another as the rest came to light.

Some things are best paraphrased. Most romances are.

Daredevil has posed:
"It's empty," Matt says of his beer when Elektra snags it. "Figured since you were paying the tab," he says with a nod to his stolen beer.

Matt bristles a little at being called a coward, "True enough," he allows though of beating the story of them to death.

"The rest involved a little light auto theft and missing a lot of classes," Matt continues with the paraphrasing to Claire. The end of course is conspicously absent.

Claire Temple has posed:
For her part, Claire is taken aback by the statement that she's the one who places the stitches. Her expression hardens slightly, eyes flicking back and forth between Elektra and Matt, heart rate rising. Elektra calling Matt a coward, though, that's something closer to turning Claire's impression of Matt's world on its ear. She frowns.

"Amazing you're both still in touch," she allows, eyes stilling to narrow at Matt. "Doesn't sound like it ended on a happy note."

Elektra has posed:
"So it is," Elektra notes of Matt's empty bottle, setting it back down, and gesturing towards the bar again. It's almost uncanny how when she does that, Josie always seems to be paying attention right that moment. "And you never proved I stole those cars."

Oh, she had. But he hadn't proven it.

Claire's words, though, they brush upon the truth of things. Even when it was good, it hadn't ended on a happy note. His leaving her apartment the other day had been one of those notes. A broken and saddened thing for all the ways they'd tried and been unable to change their pasts.

"Sometimes things don't end," Elektra says softly. Simply. "They just are."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt can hear that increase in Claire's heartbeat, feel that narrow eyed gaze on him. There were going to be talks later he surmised, explanations asked for, which was fair enough. The bit about the cars gets a tight smile. "Sure," he says as much to end that subject than out of any agreement.

As to the rest, he says, "We didn't until recently, when she came to Foggy and I with some work for the firm," he explains. As to how it ended, he takes another sip of his beer. "You could say that," he says of how things ended.

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Oh, boy, what a pair these two are. "I don't imagine she came to you and Foggy over some misappropriated cars," she says. "I don't suppose this is a continuing case." She unfolds her arms to put a hand on her face while she listens and watches.

Elektra has posed:
Elektra arches a brow, and turns to Matt. "Oh, you didn't tell her? I do believe this one is all yours, Matthew."

Luckily for her, the next round of drinks arrives and she has a beer she can now nurse to her hearts content, even if she is still pondering the thought of living dnagerously tonight and throwing caution to the winds as to how much she drinks.

She's been under a microscope for too long. And there are just too many things outside her control right now - a thing she's never done well with.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt had mentioned it, just with the details scrubbed. The potentially shady source of income for the firm, the one with the chance to save someone who he thought was really trying to change. He breathes a bit of a laugh, "Heh. No, not cars, a fund of third party donors, to help pay the legal bills of people who couldn't afford it otherwise. Letting Nelson and Murdock do good work and still keep the lights on," he explains, before adding, "I think I mentioned it once."

Claire Temple has posed:
And the lightbulb turns on. "Yes, you did mention it," Claire says, nodding slowly. There are other things he mentioned that she's not going to voice at the moment, but her expression suggests that she will eventually. Oh, yes, indeed. "I'm guessing Nelson and Murdock is getting a bit busy, then," she says, stretching a little and eyeing the pair.

She makes an only slightly subtle glance at her watch. "I... ah... appreciate the time, and the conversation," she says, canting a look at Elektra, "but I should probably be getting back home."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt was of the 'rip off the bandaid' school of dealing with problems. So, rather than hiding and trying to avoid a thing, he comes right at it. Call it Catholicism or being the son of the boxer, or just not knowing better. It's how he dealt with things.

So,following the confusing interlude with Elektra at Josie's, Matt made his way to Claire's after a visit with Father Lantom, it was Sunday after all, and Matt had a lot to confess, though as he knocks on Claire's door, the duffle bag of clothes under one arm, he suspects his confessing this Sunday is far from over.