4647/Meet me at Mercutio's

Meet me at Mercutio's
Date of Scene:	14 June 2018
Location:	Mercutio's, New York City
Synopsis:	Claire and Luke go for coffee, only to find Elektra there. Luke and Elektra make a devil's bargain.
Cast of Characters:	Luke Cage, Claire Temple, Elektra

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Luke Cage has posed:
"How did this even happen?" Luke asks himself as he climbs out of his car in front of Mercutio's. He did not even like coffee, never drank the stuff, but here he was going for his second of the morning. It had been a hell of a night though.

He walks into the coffee shop and looks around, seeing he arrived before Claire. Right after leaving Matt's place, he called her up to check on her and they decided to meet here. The place was nice, comfortably lit, intimate. The kind of place you might take a date to and talk about nothing. Luke wished nothing was on the menu. Or a date. Either would probably be better than what was coming.

After some brief chit chat with the man behind the counter, Antonio, Luke sat down with his coffee to wait.

Claire Temple has posed:
About fifteen minutes pass before Claire arrives at Mercutio's. She hadn't slept well the night before, and now her stomach was roiling in that way that wouldn't get along well with caffeine. For the time being, nothing felt right, and she'd much rather tuck her body back into her cosy apartment for as long as it would be safe, rather than dive deeper into the mess she didn't realize she was in less than twenty-four hours ago.

At the counter, she dithers a few minutes and decides on some chamomile tea and a biscotti before she nods absently to Antonio and makes her way back to the table with Luke. She tries a sip of the tea and feels the back of her mouth seize up. "Hey," she says with a small cough.

Elektra has posed:
As it happens, Elektra has not only been to Mercutio's before, but it's become something of a little hideaway for her. She insists upon sitting in that far back corner table - the one where she was when she met Darcy Lewis, the day that she signed the final contracts on purchasing the properties where the Hugo Foundation building now stood. It had been a momentous day for all the reasons, and even now, remembering brought a smile to her lips.

A smile that was short-lived when first Luke comes in and sits down without noticing her, and then not too long after, Claire Temple arrives.

There really isn't a casual way to leave without being noticed. Besides, Elektra tells herself with irritation, she was here first - why should she have to leave It was her place after all.. Neglecting the possibility that perhaps Claire and Luke also regarded it as their place...

But she was here first today. They could leave.

Stubbornly, Elektra keeps to her seat, her espresso woefully neglected as she casts her attention upon the other two.

Luke Cage has posed:
"You okay?" Luke asks Claire as coughs. When she no doubt assures him she's fine and not choking, he nods. His attention on Claire, he misses Elektra entirely for the moment.

"Rough night, eh? I was worried about you. You get any sleep?" he asks. Not that he did, judging by the bags under his eyes.

Claire Temple has posed:
"What do you think?" Claire asks as she puffs a breath over the hot tea. "After all of that? Seriously," she says, shaking her head before trying another sip of tea.

She gives the end of the biscotti a tentative nibble, then drops it back onto the napkin. "This is all bullshit," she says.

Elektra has posed:
There's somethingof a smile when Claire declares the biscotti bullshit - at least she thinks that's the culprit. It suggests that this particular place was happenstance, and not a regular occurence. Which meant her hideaway might remain just that. Especially if the pair didn't notice her here.

Of course if it /were/ happenstance, there was some amusement that they'd all had similar thoughts: anywhere but Josie's... and somehow still managed to all end up in the same space. All they needed right now was Matt to stumble through the doors and make the quartet complete.

Luke Cage has posed:
"Touché," Luke says. "I wish I could say it gets much better. I went by Matt's this morning, and we had a talk. He's got it bad for this woman. Knew her before she was what she is, and has been with her since last year," Luke confides and holds up a hand. "Let me finish"

"He says he didn't know what she doing until recently," he adds. "And I believe him. Matt's a lot of things, but he's not a liar. He didn't know until it was too late."

Luke takes a sip of his coffee and makes a face. There was a reason he didn't drink this stuff.

Claire Temple has posed:
The look Claire gives Luke is dry enough to pull water from the air itself. "He didn't know," she says flatly. "What, he thought she just got her membership card in the mail last month? Bullshit. None of this is new."

She gives the tea another try, and finding it slightly cooler, takes a larger sip. The biscotti gets another try, diverting her fury long enough for her to crack off a chunk with her teeth and crunch it. "'Got it bad' isn't an excuse, and you know it."

Luke Cage has posed:
"Didn't say it was an excuse, just a fact," Luke points out. "And means he ain't thinking straight. Another fact is he didn't break it off as soon as he found out. Which brings us to the most important fact. Now we gotta deal with it before you or anyone else gets hurt. And I mean to deal with it."

Luke takes another sip of his coffee, shakes his head and sets it aside, barely touched. "We're gonna take 'em down. Make them hurt bad enough they realize it ain't worth it. And if that breaks her little club, so be it. We'll be doing the world a favour."

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire fights down the sudden urge to launch the biscotti at Luke's head. "What, like taking down a multinational ninja organization is just like ousting a few organized thugs in Hell's Kitchen?" she asks. "And by the way, if he's not thinking straight now, with everything in front of his hyper-sensitive nose, just how much help do you expect him to be when shit goes down?"

"This isn't the usual scale, and you and I both know that this isn't a straight-line fight. Ninja clans don't last long doing those, and the Hand has been around for-fucking-ever." She finishes off her tea and squeezes the paper cup into a crumpled mess from the sides in.

Elektra has posed:
It's likely just as well that Elektra can't hear the bulk of the conversation between Luke and Claire - then again, she's not really one to step up and protest the things they think that are wrong. And all things considered, does she *really* want to get into an in-depth discussion with them on the workings of The Hand?

She knows by body language that neither are happy. She presumes Matt figures into that. And that she certainly must.. likely in tandem with her dealings with both Matt and The Hand. But given he's their friend, and she isn't, she's guessing Matt is bearing the brunt of that body language.

Her espresso is quite cold now, and she has no desire to finish it, but she sips it anyway.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke spreads his hands. "I didn't say it'd be easy, but think about it, what's the other choice? Go into hiding, forget the clinic, live on the run? There's only one way, and that's through."

He leans back in his seat and crosses his arms. "Besides, they've never gone up against us before. We call in the others, use Elektra for intel, and drop the hammer. As for Matt? I'm not counting on him, I'm tryin' to look for him. He thought he could get her to leave the Hand, don't know how he'll react if she won't and ends up on the wrong side of what's comin'"

Claire Temple has posed:
Claire grimaces. "Ends up? He's already *on,* that's the whole reason we're in this mess to begin with," she says. "And you're expecting to use someone who is ears-deep in this for intel, never mind just what they're willingly ears-deep into?" She shakes her head with a snort. "You got a thing for windmills, or something?"

"You're hoping that three of you -- if Matt's as much of a mess as we're guessing he is -- are going to rout all of this? What the hell kind of rolodex are you keeping, Cage?" she asks, taking another chunk off the biscotti.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke snorts. "Tactics is doing the best you can with the hand you're dealt. Never get a better look at how things are working than through her. And heck no, we're not doing this alone, I was gonna reach out to...." Luke trails off as his gaze falls past Claire.

"Sweet Christmas!" Luke breathes, staring past Claire's left shoulder. "You're /not/ gonna believe who's here..."

Claire Temple has posed:
"Oh, you're fucking kidding me," Claire breathes in kind, giving a glance in the direction Luke indicated. "That's it. I've had it," she says, jumping up from her seat. "This?" she hisses in Luke's direction, "this whole ninja thing isn't going away, and it's too damn close." She crumples up the napkin around the remains of the biscotti, turns on her heel, and chucks the packet into the small trash can by the door as she hurries back out to the open air.

Elektra has posed:
Well, there's that. And there is no missing the fact that she's not only been discovered, but that Claire has left because of her presense here. "I'd point out that I was here first," Elektra says in clipped tones that are geared to reach Luke, "But somehow I don't think either of you care."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke sighs as Claire storms out. "Great," he says to himself.

He catches Elektra's comment and walks over to her table. "Yeah, not really," Luke says and sits down across from her without asking. "So you just happen to be where we are? You trying to send us a message?"

Elektra has posed:
There's a light scoff from Elektra. "Hardly. It may surprise you to know I come here often enough they know my order and my table."

She's not apologetic, nor does she rise to the implied challenge of Luke's words.

Luke Cage has posed:
"My luck that of all the coffee shops, I end up here then. I don't even like coffee," Luke says. He eyes Elektra.

"I talked to Matt this morning, he told me about you two. Straight up, are you playing him?"

Elektra has posed:
There's a delicate arch of brow from Elektra. "Playing him how?"

She just shakes her head at him, and gestures to Antonio behind the counter. The man happily nods and cocks his head to her. For what it's worth, it seems she's not lying about being a regular here. She must be - she's getting tableside service in a place that doesn't wait on tables.

It must be the tips.

Whatever it is, in short order she has a fresh espresso, a biscotti on a plate, and a murmur from Antonio that his wife insists, that she thinks the lady is too skinny.

Antonio shrugs. What can he do? The wife insists, so he brings the biscotti.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke watches as Antonio comes over and delivers the coffee and espresso. Last night she was on his turf, this morning, he is definitely on hers.

"To get him to clean up your rivals for you," Luke says after Antonio leaves.

Elektra has posed:
Elektra doesn't answer immediately, and other than a slight widening of her pupils at the suggestion, there really isn't much that gives her emotions away on the matter. Carefully she wonders, "Why would even ask that?"

Only the answer becomes obvious - or so she thinks. "Ah. I see. This is all about whether or not I truly care about him. And somehow you've decided all indicators seem to point otherwise."

There's a slight shake of head from the woman, her fingers playing at the biscotti she's supposed to be eating, but is otherwise breaking into smaller biscotti bits.

"Fair enough, I suppose. Though slightly insulting." A pause. "No, actually, it's rather insulting. However, you don't know me, so it can perhaps be understood."

Luke Cage has posed:
"Being the Hand doesn't really put you up there as trustworthy. In fact, it marks you out as sneakier than most," Luke says and crosses his arms. "But fine, let's assume you aren't playing him. Then you and I got the same problem. Your people are out for blood, including Matt's."

Elektra has posed:
"You say that like I should be surprised." Elektra gives a soft and bitter chuckle. "When, instead, I've been the one saying that from the start. Up to and including all the times I told him that there couldn't be an us."

She shake her head. "The irony is, in the past it was he who walked away. He couldn't accept who or what I was. Irreconcilable differences, you might say. Nothing we've ever been able to find a solution for."

She shrugs. "And for all that, we can't seem to stay apart. But you're right, my people are out for blood. I miscalculated when I accepted the truce that was offered. Though, so did they. And I've never lied to him. Not really."

Luke Cage has posed:
He listens to the tone, the words and cannot help but shake his head. This woman was nothing like the people he knew from his days gang running.

"You don't need to defend yourself to me," Luke says. "I ain't here to judge who lied to who. I just want to put a stop to it, and I'll go through whoever I need to. So the question is, are you and I going to work together keeping Matt safe, or is this going to get insalubrious?"

Elektra has posed:
There's that laugh again, only this time less of the bitter to its edges. "What, do you think I don't know what that word means?" Elektra chuckles, though it is a short-lived thing. "I don't know. Are you and I going to work together to keep him safe? I certainly have no desire to see him hurt."

She might not be what he knows of gangs, but that may only be because she isn't of gangs. She's of the elite, and assassins, and ninjas and secrecy. There is no need for false bravado or posturing. She knows her place in the world and she isn't frightened by it. Or him.

"All I ask is you protect them. Be what I can not. I already offered you money for it. Which I'm guessing isn't necessary, though it seemed it might have been at the time. You left in a state. All I cared was making sure you came back and listened long enough to know why it was necessary. All I needed to know was you cared enough about them that I won't have to worry. Beyond that, it's simple. We avoid one another."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke taps the fingers of one hand on his arms. "You got that right, you don't need to pay me to look out for my own. But the way I see it, your plan doesn't work. I can beat on these guys until they're blue in the face, but they'll just keep coming. We gotta send the kind message they can't ignore, and that's not happening if I'm babysitting Matt."

Elektra has posed:
"Well, sadly, that's the best deal you're going to get. You might not realize this, but I'm not their head because I walked in off the street with an impressive resume. I took out two of the faction heads and was on my way to a third. The problem is, you kill on, another pops up."

She gives him a long look. "You may think you have this all figured out, but you don't. They've been around longer than you or I. This war of theirs - they want me. I thought this would be the answer. It wasn't. But ultimately, they won't stop until they have me. This isn't about sending any message you can give them. I've killed more of them than people you've beaten up over your lifetime, I would imagine. Just in case you thought I wasn't speaking their language."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke's eyes narrow and he nods slowly.

"Matt doesn't really get it yet, does he," Luke says finally. "He still thinks this is going to turn out alright."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra nodsd slowly. "He still thinks I'm walking away from this alive."

There's really little else she can say about the matter now that she's realized it herself. The only outcomes are: she remains the Fist who rules the Hand... or she's dead. There isn't a happily ever after in it all.

And Matthew believes in Happily Ever After.

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke exhales slowly. There would be no explaining this to Matt.

"You still have a choice to make, and it'll matter to Matt. How're you going to go out? With them, or against them?" Luke asks, cocking his head slightly.

Elektra has posed:
"That's a dangerous question at this juncture of my life, you realize." Elektra gives him a mild smile, and stops playing with the biscotti. She moves to holding the tiny espresso cup between her fingers, the thing still upon its saucer.

"I can't leave them now. Not while I don't know what it is exactly that they want. And even then, it's easier for me to work against them from within. At least towards that end." She shakes her head. "The thing is, Stick never told us what the war was. I thought getting this truce - taking on this position - was the end of it. I did what I could to mitigate the worst of their crimes. Left it so that they were intact and functioning. So there wouldn't need to be a war.."

She sighs.

"And the war seems to not have cared. I don't have answer for you that you want to hear, Luke. Not when I don't know what it is that they want. And when I do know, I still may have to stay to keep worse things from happening. This is like a controlled burn to keep a raging forest fire from spreading. You don't want to burn that land to the ground, but if you don't, you lose everything. You tell me, if the choice were a lesser evil, to stop a greater one, what would you do?"

Luke Cage has posed:
"That ain't a fair question," Luke says. "I never walked in your shoes."

He rubs his face with one hand. "I hear what you're saying, and it's a trap, whether you see it or not. I don't care if it's ninja or Bloods, you can't change the street. You just decide how you're going to walk it, and who with," he says and makes a face. "But I'm not trying to change your mind. I do think I know how we keep Matt from trying to save you from yourself and getting himself killed."

Elektra has posed:
"No, it's a totally fair question. You're being asked to do it now. Support a lesser evil to keep a greater one at bay." She smiles at him that leaves him in no doubt that she's the lesser evil. "Tell me how we save Matt."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke grimaces, she has a point, but he already knew the game he was playing long before he walked into Mercutio's.

"You hire me to protect you, keep you in the game. As long as he thinks you're safe, he can focus on keeping himself and Claire safe."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra laughs outright. "Oh.. you really mean that, don't you?"

Her laughter continues for a short while and she finally manages to sip from her new espresso - while it's still passably hot, even.

"And just what message do you think that gives to the rest of my men, hrm? You've been in prison. Imagine one kingpin hiring someone outside his group to protect himself. And tell me how well that would go over."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke waits patiently for Elektra to finish laughing.

"By the time he's getting cut up in the street by his own people, it doesn't matter what message it sends. He's already lost control by then. He just might not know it yet."

Elektra has posed:
There's a keen edged look from Elektra for Luke, "And what you're suggesting is what will leave me lying in the streets cut up and waiting for the street cleaners to find me. You don't diss your people like that. Your protection comes from withing. Period."

She does look thoughtful, though. "However, tell me. Any martial arts background, Luke?"

Luke Cage has posed:
"You've already been hit once, anyway," he points out with a ghost of a smile. It fades.

"What they taught in the academy, sure," he answers. "Picked up a few things here and there. You do know who I am, right?" he asks, a little amused by the question.

Elektra has posed:
"Only in the vaguest sense. In my defnse, I've been a little busy since meeting you. And you hardly know who I am."

She gives him an impish smile, one that meets her eyes. Clearly amused by their current conversation.

Luke Cage has posed:
"I can handle myself," he assures her and crosses his arms again. "Never been a problem, and I've seen worse than ninja. They bring it, I finish it," he says matter-of-factly.

Elektra has posed:
Elektra shakes her head. "Not good enough. I don't care if you can finish them by any means necessary. The only way - and I do mean the /only/ way - this works is if you have any potenntial at the martial arts. I can't justify your presense any other way."

He's treated to a bland look. "So, if you care to finish the posturing and actually provide me with an answer that might begin to solve our problem, I'd be happy. Or I can order another drink and wait. Really your choice."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke gives her a bemused look. "Am I fancy? No. Can I be? If I had to be. Now why don't you tell me what you're really asking."

Elektra has posed:
"Fancy isn't a requirement. That you can perform any sort of moves with any sort of ability is." Elektra shrugs. "We could solve this, you know. There are places we can make this happen. In fact, it might be to our advantage to do so. However, what I'm thinking is I can't hire a bodyguard, but I am looking for a student."

Luke Cage has posed:
Now it is Luke's turn to laugh.

"A student?" he nearly chortles. "Look, if that's the game we gotta play to make this work, then fine. We make it work. At least I'll learn something about ninja along the way."

Elektra has posed:
Elektra looks amused. "I didn't say you'd learn to be a ninja. However, it does have some possibility - you being a student and all. You are rather old to be fully trained. But I'm hoping these other skills you boast of might make up for it?"

She ponders. "It might sellable. We do recruit off of the street. Not everyone we take in is ninja quality. Some might benefit from your training. Put skills together is something more of a mixed martial arts sort of way. Of course that would mean you may be training members of the Hand."

There's that knowing smile again. "Lesser evil to stop a greater one? Now do you understand?"

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke nods, satisfied.

"I understood at about 8 am this morning," he says. "I was just waiting for this conversation to catch up. So how do we make it happen?"

Elektra has posed:
"8am, huh? I'm betting I didn't fare well in that conversation."

She doesn't look bothered by that.

"We fight. I make certain it's observed. Who wins is irrelevant. What matters is the interaction. If you're what you say you are, it only need go far enough for that to be recognied. Past that, you become my student. You also train recruits. You'll receive pay - name a price you think is worth it for this effort, and I'll make it happen."

"Matt doesn't catch wind of what prompted this conversation. He never hears that the only way I leave is in a body bag. Am I clear? You try to let him in on the matter, and our deal is over, and I will be forced to take much more drastic measures. I would suggest you take me at my word on that. I've had more pointed conversations at the end of a blade."

Luke Cage has posed:
"Bring the blade, it'll be funny," he says and smiles. He pushes himself up from the table. "I won't breathe a word of it to Matt. So all you gotta do is name the time and place. Or don't, surprise me. Whatever you gotta do. Just don't put anyone you like in the front line when this goes down."

Elektra has posed:
"I don't like people," Elektra says calmly. "Keep Matt out of this and the rest is collateral damage when it goes down."

She waits, looking about to sip from her cup, but changing her mind. "You didn't name a price."

Luke Cage has posed:
"No, I didn't," he says. "We'll talk about it after your little test."

Elektra has posed:
"A dangerous game, but if that's how you want to play it." Elektra shrugs. "It doesn't change anything."

She drains her little cup and sets it neatly on its saucer. The poor biscotti remains broken but otherwise untouched.

"Tonight. You'll know it's time when you're collected. There will be instructions not to harm you. I'll consider who you'll be up against and see what pleases me."

Luke Cage has posed:
Luke Cage says, "It's a date," he says, flips up his hood and makes his way out of Mercutio's."