4604/Back at the Bar

Back at the Bar
Date of Scene:	07 June 2018
Location:	Josie's Bar, Hell's Kitchen, New York City
Synopsis:	After Elektra admits that she's the leader of the Hand, Claire gets angry, Jess gets booze, Luke gets a job and Elektra and Matt make questionable choices (again).
Cast of Characters:	Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Elektra, Luke Cage, Claire Temple

---

Daredevil has posed:
Elektra's announcement that she was the 'Fist that Ruled the Hand' pretty much put an end to their little gathering, well, that or Luke's departure. Matt slipped out of the booth and went to the bar to get some space. He ordered another whiskey, and by the flush on his cheeks he's actually drinking tonight. Rare for him, who usually nursed his drinks and hoped nobody noticed.

As he drinks, he rubs his forehead and wonders just what the hell his life had come to.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica walks into Josie's, looking...not very happy. She doesn't bother checking who is there and who isn't, she makes a bee-line for the bar, and snaps out, "Josie, J&B, forget glasses, just give me the bottle..."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra has no fucks to give about whether or not anyone notices she's nursing her drinks or not. The only drink she's actually touched this evening was the shot of scotch, and that was downed earlier. Now she's merely warming up beer by holding onto a full mug - a newly poured mug as it happens, her earlier beer taken away without word by the waiter who brought the new pitcher, and the pizza that replaced the congealed remains of the earlier dinner.

Luke has barely left before Jessica wanders in, taking the situation from bad to.. unpredictable. She and jessica might understand one another, but things are tense tonight. However, there is one thing Elektra can do, and that's.. try and bring Luke back. For all the reasons - even if some of them amount to begging and eating crow.

She rises and holds a hand up to Matthew, giving Claire an apologetic look. "Let me. I need to talk to him." And before she can be stopped, she follows Luke outside into the dark.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke makes his way across the bar to the door, fuming, pausing just long enough to hold the door open for a black-haired woman making her way in.

Once outside he slows his roll and takes a deep breath, already starting to regret how he spoke to Matt.

"Damn it," he says to himself.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt reaches out for Elektra's arm but she's gone before he can stop her. "That's not good," he mutters before moving to the bar and nodding to Jess after he's gotten his whiskey. "Back for more?" he asks the PI with a tight smile. If he means booze or more words with Elektra he might not even know.

Jessica Jones has posed:
"Back for more...? Who said I was done in the first place," Jess shoots at Matt, snorting as Josie gives her a once over before finally handing her the J&B bottle she asked for. Most people don't get this kind of leeway with Josie, but Jess been here enough, and she's seen how much alcohol the woman can handle. One wouldn't expect it, but somehow, it just happens. "Thanks," Jessica snaps at Josie, snatching the bottle like a parched man in the dessert, and making quick work of the cap she starts chugging. Is Jess happy at the moment? Not likely.

Elektra has posed:
For her part, Elektra pauses outside the door of Josie's to orient where Luke may have gone. As it happens, he's not gone far and it's easy for the woman to approach him, voice kept low. "Luke?"

She stops outside of swinging range, even if she suspects she may deserve to take a hit. One she might be willing to let him have.

"I know you're angry. I know you're angry with me. But they need you. I.. I need you. I can't protect them. I know I said I could, but I can't. This thing, what's going on in the Hand, it's bigger than I can keep away from them. As long as I'm protecting them, they're in bigger danger. Please, come back, and talk with us? Help me help them and I promise I'll stay away."

At least she hopes she can keep that promise. she means it in good faith. She's just not sure how well she can keep it.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke stops without turning when Elektra calls him and exhales audibly. He listens and is quiet for a long moment. Then the set of his shoulders changes. He turns around and crosses his arms.

"I don't trust a word you just said, except that they're in danger," he rumbles, eyeing the woman. He glances back at the bar and then to Elektra. "But that's the only part that matters, ain't it."

Luke considers Elektra for a long moment and then relents. "I'd better like what I hear you sayin'," he says and moves to follow her back into the bar, shaking his head.

Daredevil has posed:
"Fair point, " Matt allows with a shake of his head. He can hear the booze pouring down Jess' throat and he makes a face, "I'd say slow down but I don't want to be picking pieces of that bottle out of the side of my head," he says before he senses Luke and Elektra making their way back towards them. Matt lets out a tired sigh and turns on his stool to face them.

Jessica Jones has posed:
Jessica abruptly stops drinking at Matt's comment, the way she shifts the bottle harshly from her lips makes a bit of whiskey drizzle about. "I'm not that violent, Matt! So don't make me sound like some psycho!" Because making that demand as loud as she is, certainly is helping her look calm and collected. But making that flourishing gesture, makes her spot Elektra coming in with Luke Cage, and she snorts, "look, Matt, your girlfriend that wants to murder you is cheating on you."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra gives Jessica a faint scowl. "You may as well come too," she murmurs. "It'll be better than you yelling across the bar."

She reatkes her seat at the table, and is quiet a moment. "I asked Luke to come back because I can't do this alone. I can't keep you all safe by myself. The more I'm near you or make a deal about you, the more danger you're in. But I can't just ignore you either."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke sits down and crosses his arms while Elektra speaks. He avoids looking at Matt, but steals a glance at the woman joining them. The others obviously knew her. And she clearly knew her liquor and was not in the mood for pleasantries.

Jessica Jones has posed:
"Really? Because you're so good with manners?" Jessica shoots right back at Elektra, whatever spurred her to ask for a whole bottle for herself, well, it didn't put her in a good mood. She takes the J&B with her, and proceeds to march outside, as she raises her voice again, "I'm good for it, Josei, I'll come back to clear my tab." As she leaves she mutters to herself about 'gotta be kidding me', 'assassin telling me how to behave', 'kick all their asses', among several more disjointed mutterings.

Daredevil has posed:
A few of the drunks look up, as Jess yells, and one slips out the back. Jess maaay just have a rep around here.

"Trust me," Matt says to Jessica as he gets up from the bar and moves to the table. "They're not cheating," he says before realizing that implied things, "And she's not my girlfriend," he adds before he sits down.

"Oh?" Matt asks Elektra skeptically when she talks about keeping them safe. Mostly because that was the job he'd given himself in this group.

Elektra has posed:
Claire wasn't back from the washroom, and Jessica was declining top join. All things considered, that suited Elektra fine. While it was a conversation she might want them all to hear, ultimately, if only Matt and Luke heard, it would still work.

"It's a nice gestures, Matthew, but you're in danger too. And I can't protect you all. I know I said I could, but ultimately it will come down to making a choice, and people will be hurt."

One of those people might even be her.

"You need to work together. All of you. You need to be a team."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke's eyes follow Jessica as she walks away then come back to Elektra.

"From what, though? And what choice? You're being awfully vague about just what heat you've brought down on us."

Daredevil has posed:
There's a frown from Matt as he gets settled in the booth again, his head tilting. "You're trying to rally us now?" he asks. "Might not have wanted to mention what you did earlier, if that's your plan," he says with a mirthless on his lips.

He gestures at the empty spaces at the booth, "And you can see what kind of team we are."

Sure, Matt had tried to rally them in much the same way earlier tonight but that had been several drinks and a big revelation ago.

Elektra has posed:
Elektra tries not to look pained, but she fails. It's a measure of how unsettled she is. "I know. I'm trying my best to make the most out of a bad situation, Matthew."

The woman gives a sigh. "Not everyone is happy that I took over the Hand," she says simply. "Some.. one.. or someones are trying to bring me in with the old order. They don't like the rules I've put in place. I've been their enemy long enough that this wasn't an easy transition. And now that they've found a weak spot in my armour, they're going to exploit it."

Luke Cage has posed:
"And that weak spot is him," Luke says, a touch incredulously, and juts his chin towards Matt. "All that ninja politics comes down to they're gonna screw over Matt and people around him."

Luke shakes his head and looks to Matt. "Because you're what to her?" he asks Matt.

Daredevil has posed:
Elektra's pained expression can be heard in her voice and he frowns with one of his own. Par for the course really, one hurting the other, on and on.

Luke's question gets Matt raising his head, he considers it, brow furrowed before he decides on the truth. "We used to be together and we want to now but we can't, for a lot of reasons, but, as far as the Hand is concerned, I'm leverage, I'm her weak spot."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra licks her lips. "You can say it, Matthew."

She turns to Luke and offers quietly, "I love him. It makes a very glaring hole in my defenses. And now that it's known I'll defend him the way to convince others I'm not fit for the role I've taken is to force me to defend him. And if I don't, they'll attack those he cares about."

Witness Jessica. Claire. Luke. Foggy. Karen... others, perhaps.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke shakes his head and glowers at Matt. He looks like he is about say something but reaches for his beer instead and takes a deep swig.

?Great,? he says under his breath.

Daredevil has posed:
There it was, those three little words out in the open like that. It was terrifying and at the sametime liberating. He offers Elektra a smile, though it's a brief one, because his pride leaps up to snatch it from his lips.

"I can-" he begins, but he had been calling for the same thing earlier tonight. For the team to come together and defend (heh) this flank so Elektra didn't have to worry about it.

Though hearing Elektra saying /he/ needed protection irked him somewhat. He let's out a resigned sigh, it didn't make it less true, he'd heard stories from Stick about what the Hand could do.

"Elektra's right, they know about me, they'll be coming, we stand a better chance together than apart."

Elektra has posed:
It wasn't that Elektra thought Matt couldn't defend himself. It was more that he wasn't the only one at risk here. And that trying to defend the others made him a larger target. That one person against the entire underhanded mess of rebellion in the Hand was a recipe for disaster.. and it wasn't a loss she was willing to risk.

And, yes, she'd said it. She'd said she loved him. There seemed to be little reason to hide it now. Not when saying it could convince the others to step up and together and band against what she shouldn't prevent. Not overtly, at least, and certainly not before it might be necessary for them to fight back.

"I still don't know who within the organization is behind the attacks. And until I do, I have to assume everyone is."

Luke gets a wry glance. "If you want, you can consider this me hiring you. As it happens, I've plenty of legitimate money to do so."

Claire Temple has posed:
It's all Claire can do to pull herself together, gather her things up from where she'd held them above the floor in the bathroom at Josie's, and storm out to the booth to rejoin Matt, Elektra, and Luke. She takes a deep breath and braces her hands on the end of the table... and says nothing. She stares at Elektra and Matt, and frowns at Luke.

The braced hands turn up into fists, and she starts to gesture the left one into slow-motion punches into the surface of the table.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke nearly chokes on his beer when Elektra mentions hiring him and is checking himself when Claire comes back to the table.

"I think you'd better start talking Matt. Claire deserves an explanation, and a hell of an apology," Luke rumbles. "You held out, and it got her hurt."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt cocks his head at the mention of not knowing who was behind the attacks. "Still? There has to be some way to flush them out." But then he was getting ahead of himself.

Claire's return draws his attention, even without his senses he'd be able to tell she was furious. With his senses, it was hard to ignore.

The hiring Luke business gives him an idea but he holds it in for now, when Luke asks for him to apologize to Claire. Matt feels a little flash of anger, that shows in the stiffening of his shoulders, but the guilt shows on his face.

"It was complicated," he says, turning to Claire, "But that was no excuse, I should have done more to protect you and keep this from happening, Claire. I'm sorry."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra flashes Matt a look. "It's not like I can ask them outright 'do you support me' - are you crazy? Do you want me to bring this to a head before I have any known support to fight it?"

Luke gets embraced by the irritation of that sweep of gaze, "It's not his fault. It's mine. All he knew was I'd taken an offer. He had no reason to believe any of you were in any danger."

She doesn't address Claire, knowing full well the other woman already thinks the worse, and less, of her.

Claire Temple has posed:
"The fuck do you mean, no reason to believe...?!" Claire spits out now, not caring who hears. "Like he couldn't have any idea whatsoever that you were into..." She grabs the pizza pan and whips it out from in front of her to the floor behind. "What, like he was in denial?"

"Should have done more?! How about something? Could we start with fucking *something*?" She grabs a beer glass and starts winding up for a pitch.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke puts his beer down when Claire throws the pizza. He sees her winding up and starts to stand to try and catch her arm.

"Claire, it isn't worth it," he says.

Daredevil has posed:
"Heh," Matt says at Elektra's reply. There was other ways to go at it but the clatter of the aluminum tray hitting the floor and Josie's "Hey!" drawing his attention towards Claire.

"Put down the beer, Claire," he says his face turned her way. There is a moment where his conscience wars across his face, Elektra had told him what she'd agreed to but he saw what she was doing, taking the blame so they could get past all of this and work together, but his concscience wouldn't let go, lies got them here, he doubted they'd set them free either. "It's okay, Elektra," he says holding up a hand. "Claire, I knew and I screwed up. I didn't stay away and the Hand came after me and you got hurt. You have every right to be furious with me." He turns his head towards Luke as well, "You both do."

Elektra has posed:
"What did you expect him to do, Claire? He'd only just learned what I'd done. It wasn't like he knew all this time and was keeping it from you. We'd broken up before you were even in the picture." If you could ever call them back together. "What was he keeping from you?"

She shakes her head at Matt. "No. It isn't okay. She's angry with me, so she's taking it out on you. None of this is going to help any of you. Being angry isn't going to help a single one of you."

Back to Claire, and quietly, tight restraint on her words and tones, "You want to be angry, be angry with me. Be angry with me for thinking that I could resolve a problem and stop even more killing. Be angry with me for doing what I was told never to do and falling in love. Be angry with me because I wanted to think I'd kept my lives separate enough that I could say goodbye and that would be the end of it. But don't be angry with him. All the things that Matt is that make him a target are also all the things that make him one of the best friends you'll ever have."

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire whips the beer glass forward with a grunt before Luke can intervene, launching the alcoholic contents at Matt. "You actually thought you could stop something," she grinds out at Elektra. "Fuck you and your fake 'do better' bullshit. And you..." she lobs the empty glass toward Matt's end of the table, striking the wall with a crash. "All of your super awesome powers of detection, and it never occurred to you that she was hiding something from you? You didn't think there could possibly be a problem here? And all you can say is I'm allowed to be furious?"

She glances around the table in her anger, looking for another glass of booze to launch. "La-de-fucking-da," she says. "Who gives a shit whether you think I have a right to be furious or not?"

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke winces as the drink goes flying and stands up, moving past Claire. He waves to Josie to assure her it's handled and puts a hand gently on Claire's shoulder.

"Easy, this ain't the place," he says. "Maybe we should go."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt hear's Elektra's words, they touch him but there's no time to appreciate it before he's soaked with beer and ducking out of the way of the glass. It's shattering ringing in his ears.

"Claire!" he snaps standing up. "Jesus, get a hold of yourself."

"And if anyone's going to be going, we need to work out what's happening here. Luke, you taking that job? As for me, I can do my part watching out for us as well,' he gives Claire a pointed expression, "Even if they don't want me too."

"If we don't want to sort it out tonight. Fine, but we /all/ need to meet again before this gets much further. Alright?"

Elektra has posed:
Elektra doesn't even seem to react to Claire's angry throwing of beer and mug. "No. You all need to work things out. I don't have that luxury, I'm afraid. In this I'm afraid I have to agree with Claire, anytime I'm near you, I'm a danger to you all. There's knowing I've connections, and there's flaunting them."

She rises from her seat, and holds up a hand to Josie that has a wad of bills in it. Clearly meant to pay for the mess, and the inconvenience of this all.

"You stay and sort this out."

She doesn't say what she's going to do, other than to murmur, "If you want that job, Luke, inform Matt. He can inform the lawyers who present him with the case portfolios. They can contact me. There needn't be any further interactions, and with luck this will settle down into a dull but annoying roar."

Claire Temple has posed:
For her part, Claire crumples into the arm Luke wraps around her shoulder. She puts both hands to her face and rubs at her eyes.

Luke Cage has posed:
"I'll talk to Matt in the morning," Luke says non-comittally. "I think we all need go home."

He gently guides Claire away from the table, around the pizza and toward the door.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt frowns as Luke and Claire walk away, he wants to call out but he's out of things to say, and he's exhausted.

He turns towards Elektra, "I can settle the damages with Josie if you wanted to stay awhile," he offers, meaning the two of them. He wasn't sure about her, but after that, he needed the company.

Elektra has posed:
"To what end, Matthew? What would change?" Elektra looks nothing but tired, standing there at the edge of the table. "All we could accomplish is more of the same, to the same end. Only your friends there would have even more reason to believe in not only the stupidity of any of this, but that you're - we're.. I.. - am putting them in danger."

She shakes her head. "Tell me what conversation will change anything we already know has to be done."

Daredevil has posed:
"I'm not actually looking to solve anything," Matt answers as he takes his seat again frowning at the touch his beer soaked clothing against his skin. "Just enjoying the time. Besides, the Hand alread know about me, my friends, all of it, nothing we do right now changes that," he says. "So, no changing things, we don't even have to have a conversation, just I don't want you to go yet."

Elektra has posed:
It's clear Elektra is torn. In her heart she knows the wisest course would be to leave. But also in her heart, she knows that she doesn't want to. She wants to stay here, for all the lingering moments she can capture, and avoid what she knows will happen once she walks out the door.

Even without the fiasco with Luke and Claire, Elektra knows that all her time with Matt is on a limited clock, and she wants to savour it.

It's with reluctance that she sits back down, still convinced this is a mistake. Not certain if she cares anymore.

"You know this isn't going to help either of us."

Daredevil has posed:
They'd said so much in the presence of the others Matt feels no need to hold back now.

"I know," he says of this helping them. "It's probably going to make leaving harder, but, I love you, Elektra, and if I can have a few more minutes with you, then I am going to take them."

He lays his hand on the table an invitation for her to take it in her own. "I want you to know, all of this, my friends being mad at us, this fucked up situation, it's not going to change how I feel about you. I don't know if that makes things easier or harder for us, but I wanted you to know."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra's hand slides across the table to meet his own, taking it within her own calloused fingers. "I'm not sure we've said that in such a long time. If ever." She knows they've said it in so many other ways, but not like this. "It was never easy leaving, Matthew. Knowing that it's the right thing to do didn't change that."

"Your friends aren't going to forgive me. Even if they forgive you. I'm sorry for the trouble this put between you. I really did think things could be different. I was wrong. Perhaps this is what Stick meant. That you can't do what you need to if you allow emotions in. And someone needs to be the Fist, Matthew. It was a war that was never going to end."

She gives him a soft smile. "I got tired of it."

Daredevil has posed:
He smiles when she takes his hand, feeling her callouses rub against his own. They were very alike. "Talking was never what we were good at," Matt says with his smile taking on a wry cast. "But it's always been true."

His head lowers, "Yeah, it really doesn't," he says. "I know it comes as a shock, but I am so sick of doing the right thing," he says. Though there was no getting out of it this time.

"Luke might, he wouldn't be considering the job if he hated you," Luke was a moral man the same as Matt. "Claire, I am not sure she's going to even forgive me but she made her mind up a while ago I think. And different how? With you and me or all of us?"

He grimaces at the mention of Stick. "The world according to Stick? Nah, I don't see it. You, the others, yeah it's a place people can strike at but you're also a source of strength. I wouldn't be able to do what I do without that. Stick's way is just dying early so when the real thing comes you've got nothing to lose."

Elektra has posed:
"I wanted to believe I could take this job and the worst of the killing would stop. That I could make the best of a worst situation. I wanted to believe the war Stick always spoke of could be beaten this way."

She watches her fingers and his move along each other.

"I don't know if it can anymore. But it's too late to change my mind."

She smiles, then. "Oh, I wasn't too worried about Luke taking the offer. He cares about you and Claire, I'm sure. It's just a matter of sweetening the pot with money. Making it seem a thing he can accept despite the source."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt considers her words. "Maybe it could. I mean, not just with the stopping the killing but stop the Hand or at least do it real harm. What if you told Stick where to find them, let the Chaste take care of them." It was a dicey proposition, but it was an idea.

He feels those fingers moving agaisnt one another the feel of the warmth of his skin against his. It was almost too much to bare to think that this might be the last time he felt that.

"I know, I've run through all the other ways to take this, and I can't see another way out than what we're doing and what I just said, but I'm still praying to God, there might be some way we've missed, something if I just think and pray enough will be shown to us," he says his voice becoming low and desperate.

He's glad of the change when she mentions Luke. "Wait, I thought you were asking him to protect you?" he says when it comes up. a slight smile on his lips for the confusion.

Elektra has posed:
"I don't think your god cares about people like me, Matthew. Sometimes I wonder if he cares about people like you. And Stick always said I was the answer to this war. I thought.."

She shrugs. It was a pointless thought. And until she knew more where she'd gone wrong, she didn't know what to say.

"Pardon?" Elektra almost laughs at his thought that she had offered to pay Luke to protect her. "No. I doubt he would anyway. No, Matthew, I offered to pay him to protect you and Claire, and Jess, and well, anyone I've somehow put at risk with my mistake. It would be rather crass to offer him to protect me and leave you at risk."

Daredevil has posed:
"He cares about all of us Elektra," Matt says squeezing Elektra's hand. "That's the point. We're all his children. Even when we do things he disagrees with. Well, you might be yet, at least think about the idea--" he lets that drop away, he wanted to say and at least we'll take out some of these bastards, but it left him conflicted and it shows on his face.

"Heh,"Matt says. "Well it did have some merits. And Jess and I can take care of Claire. If you wanted, I could run it by him," he suggests grasping for that straw.

Elektra has posed:
"I don't think I see eye to eye with your God, Matthew. He's free to feel as he wishes, but we're fundementally different people, he and I. I am what I am so that I can do what I do."

There's another shake of her head. "I doubt he would. And I'm not sure it's the right answer."

Daredevil has posed:
"I know, and I think He understands that, I mean, he made you after all, he made all of us, and we just have to try and be better, no matter what our situation," Matt explains before he offers a self-depricating smile. "He also said he who is without sin throw the first stone, so what the hell do I know? I dress up as the devil and beat people up. I'm hardly following his word to the letter either, but I guess the point is, I believe in forgiveness and redemption, no matter what someone has had to do."

"I'm not sure any answer is right at this point, but it's worth asking about. You can always change your mind if you don't think it's going to work, if he even says yes," Matt reasons.

Elektra has posed:
Her fingers carress his lightly. "He's more likely to agree to protect you. Go with what he'll say yes to, Matthew. Ultimately, that's the larger of my goals. Consider it my small way of being with you when I can't."

Daredevil has posed:
Elektra's words brings one of those rare unguarded smiles to Matt's lips, a broad and boyish thing. "I get what you're saying," he says his voice light as he nods to his hand. "Though I don't see me sharing a quiet moment with Luke doing this," he says. Then throwing caution to the wind he leans forward in an offer of a kiss, "Or this."

Elektra has posed:
"You don't?" Elektra returns with a smile, leaning across the table to return the kiss, meeting him halfway with the gesture. "I don't know. He might be your type. You could always give him a try."

Most definitely teasing. TAking this small mmoment to relax.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt let's the kiss linger if Elektra lets him, his hand coming up to brush against her cheek. When it parts he's still smiling. "I'll take that under advisement, but somehow I just don't see that working out."

He leans back, reclaiming her hand. "Good to hear a smile in your voice agian," he says. "I mean I assume you're smiling," he teases lightly.

Elektra has posed:
"Possibly," Elektra murmurs after the kiss has lingered. her fingers squeeze his. "So, where do we go from here, Matthew? Given I think we've talked all the alternatives to death."

Daredevil has posed:
There is a faint tilt to his smile at the possibly, a pull towards a smirk. The teasing was a welcome relief.

"We have," he says of talking the options to death. "And I did say I didn't care about fixing thing when you sat back down." He reaches for his cane, then stands and offers Elektra his hand. "We could always just stop talking?" he offers.

Elektra has posed:
"A dangerous proposition," Elektra murmurs, considering. "Of course, I always did enjoy a little danger."

He can sense the smile upon her lips. And it is most definitely fire she's playing with when she rises and takes his hand. "Shall we burn a little?"

Daredevil has posed:
Matt grins when she slips his hand in his and rising to join him. "Just a bit," he says of her and danger, before giving her a skeptical look as he said, "Do you really have to ask?" as he bends to kiss her again.