5971/Changeling: Not an Actual Shovel Talk

Changeling: Not an Actual Shovel Talk
Date of Scene:	11 December 2018
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	May approaches Matt Murdock after learning that Skye requested permission to visit him. Subtle interrogations and counter-interrogations ensue.
Cast of Characters:	Melinda May, Daredevil
Tinyplot:	Changeling

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Melinda May has posed:
Having heard that Skye had asked permission to leave the Triskelion, May gathered the information about it and was intrigued. Why would she take a package to a blind lawyer in Hell's Kitchen? Especially one that openly tries to hustle people at pool? This merits investigation.

A couple of days of surveillance, and May has lawyer Matthew Murdock's daytime habits mostly mapped out. The man's legal partner was actually easier to track, and a junior agent sent to hang out at Josie's for a few hours tells her they're regulars to the point of having a running tab in the place. So, she goes out there herself, orders a glass of rum -- no ice -- and waits.

Seated in a booth against one wall of the cramped little pub, she's pretending to nurse the drink while she waits.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt was in a cheery mood as he walked into Josie's cane in one hand bag full of Christmas stuff in another. "Merry Christmas Josie," he greets.

"Guess it's easy to be merry when you're Matt Murdock Millionaire."

Matt's smile tightens at the snark. "While I approve of the aliteration, I going to have to plead the fifth on those millions," he says. "My usual," he adds before heading to a booth at the side of the bar.

"Going to pay that tab?"

"Stranger things have happened," Matt quips, though, yeah, he planned on it. Foggy was against it, felt like the unpaid Nelson and Murdock bar tab was a sacred thing, not to be sullied by being paid with Matt's new found wealth.

Melinda May has posed:
May's eyes lift toward Matt while the rest of her doesn't change from previous parameters. She stays seated, one hand seemingly idly lifts her glass to take a nearly non-existent sip of the rum contained therein.

The lining of her sleeve brushes along the throwing knives strapped to her forearm, revealing the sound of silky fabric across steel and the faint smell of mineral oil... along with cardamom, basil, and rice wine vinegar and underneath it all, something sharp, synthetic, and toxic.

Daredevil has posed:
Slipping into his seat at the booth, Matt makes sure his Christmas goodies are secure before he leans back and pulls his cane in with him breaking it down. At least until he hears that whisper of cloth on blade.

His back straightens and he lets his senses lead him to the source of the sound. He recognizes the woman and as he does he relaxes. It was the woman from the pool tourney and from the Triskelion but then he'd been wearing his mask at the time.

He gives her a moment to make the first move before he has to come up with an excuse to bump into her.

Melinda May has posed:
May notices Matt straighten at something she neither sees nor hears and then relax again a moment later. Interesting, but ultimately not why she's here.

She stands as if to go to the bar, but then pauses by where the lawyer is seated as if she's just recognized him. "Mr. Murdock. Small world." The amount of cloth on blade sound increases exponentially as she moves to stand and then pauses by the man's chosen booth.

While she's standing seemingly idly despite the amount of metal she's apparently got hidden on her person, her eyes are watching the blind man intently as if gauging his reactions for any hint of nervousness or unease. Or something.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt has the benefit of being able to 'watch' May's approach even with his back turned to her. So when she arrives, he gives little in the way surprise when she speaks, which is a tell in and of itself.

"It is when you keep coming to the same bar," Matt says with a self-depricating smile which is given slightly off target for where May is standing. "I am sorry, your voice is familiar but I'm not quite placing the name, any chance you can help me out?" he asks.

He knew that answer though, Agent May, but he was curious about how she'd play it.

Melinda May has posed:
"Most people call me May." She leaves off the 'Agent' part, as it's ultimately irrevelant to this conversation. "I believe we have a friend in common." She noticed the lack of surprise from the man and makes a mental note of that, though it's more that he likely heard her move than anything. It's not like she was actively trying to be silent. And, instead of offering Skye's name up front, she waits to see if the man can guess who their friend in common might be, again standing almost completely still while her eyes continue to study alertly. Her breathing and heartbeat seems to be almost deliberately steady, giving nothing away except perhaps that she's got at least a good amount of self control.

Daredevil has posed:
"Thank you, May, did you want to sit?" Matt asks gesturing vaguely at the opposite bench.

His drink arrives then and he thanks the waitress and turns back to May. "A friend in common?" he asks. "Who's the friend?" he asks.

For his part Matt keeps up the chance encounter front pretty well, looking friendly and curious while he's really on edge. His body tightens a little, and by the way his legs shift he's ready to stand at an instant.

Melinda May has posed:
Again making mental notes. May's eyes flick to the waitress, around the room briefly, and then back to Matt, as if trying to place what's making him increasingly tense. She accepts his offer to sit and settles into the booth across from him. "Thank you."

She sets her still mostly full glass of rum on the table near-silently, indicating a precise knowledge of how much force she needs to exert on the container, and then she offers a name. "Daisy Johnson, but she prefers her friends call her Skye. I heard that she visited you recently."

Daredevil has posed:
Matt lifts his drink and takes a sip. "She definitely prefers Skye," he agrees. He hadn't ventured to call her Daisy since they renewed their acquaintance. Personally, he liked the name better.

"And she did drop by the other day," he admits. "I'm guessing you're one of her work friends, May?" he asks still sounding conversational as he begins to counter-interrogate her.

Melinda May has posed:
"You could say that," May replies. She's very intentionally maintaining Vulcan levels of calm, and she takes another non-sip of her rum. "It just seemed odd to me that out of all of her friends, she made a point of seeking you out in particular. Was there by any chance a reason for it?" She leans a bit on the word reason, trying to imply something that she KNOWS is not true.

And if Skye hears about this, she'll either be pissed off about it, or she'll turn red as a tomato over it. Clint would likely get a laugh out if it either way.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt seems curious by the line of questioning and setting down he turns it on the table while he listens to May speak. "There's a reason for everything," Matt begins philsophically. "As to what Skye's reasons were for visiting me, if she communicated them to me, they'd be covered by lawyer client privledge," he says reaching carefully into his jacket and producing his card and sliding it over. "Matt Murdock, attorney-at-law," he offers with a tight smirk.

"Now, let's be strait with each other, Agent May," he asks. "It is Agent right? If you're concerned about your friend's motives, I suggest you ask her about them yourself. If you're worried about me, don't be. Skye is an old friend as well as my client. I'd never do anything personally or professionally to do hurt her. Hell, she's my oldest friend at this point, that's not something I'm going to throw away."

Melinda May has posed:
May's eyebrow rises at 'oldest friend', because that is something she has NOT heard from Skye. How would she know a lawyer from Hell's Kitchen long enough to be considered an oldest friend? But, if nothing else, the fact that he just invoked lawyer client privelege at her means he's got Skye's best interests at heart, and that's reassuring.

"I think you've just explained why she requested special permission to come speak with you. Did she perhaps also mention that she would be going out of town for a while, possibly until after the new year?" May again raises her glass of rum, and this time actually takes a real -- if still very small -- sip of its contents.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt misses the eyebrow raise, but he does get the sense of surprise from May. She didn't know his history with Skye. He hopes that wasn't something Skye was keeping close.

"She did mention a trip, didn't mention how long it would be exactly."

There's a pause, and Matt says, "Okay, I think things will be simpler if we lay our cards on the table. First off, why are you asking about Skye's visit? Personal interest or is she in some kind of trouble?" he asks.

Melinda May has posed:
May nods slightly, at his revealing that she mentioned going out of town to him. And then at his question she sits back, the blades at her back under her jacket shifting slightly in their scabbard. "A bit of both, really. She's not in trouble, per se, more ... her situation has changed recently and she will be getting specialized training in a very sparsely populated location.

"Besides that," she watches Matt's face carefully, the dark glasses making this a bit of a challenge. Romanona always makes this seem effortless. "How much do you know about her biological father?"

Daredevil has posed:
Nodding, Matt neither confirms or denies knowing about the change in Skye's situation. "Through the New Year, by the sound of it," he says, meaning Skye's training. "She mentioned she'd still be able to communicate while she's away, is that likely to change?" he asks.

At mention of Skye's father, there's a reaction, he leans in, curious. "Not much, just that he's crazy, dangerous and on the loose. She asked me to stay clear of him."

Melinda May has posed:
"I've seen no plans to restrict her ability to communicate. And she's already arranged to be back in town for a couple of days over Christmas so that she can visit friends and have a get-together. You'll likely be seeing an invitation for that."

At his describing what he knows about Cal Johnson, May nods again though his curiousity is noted. "That's about the gist of it. I would go on to say, though, that he is criminally dangerous. Staying away from him is best, but if that doesn't work out, I suggest you keep some manner of self defense on you. And, if you can, contact me immediately no matter what time it is."

She reaches into her jacket -- which causes all manner of small, mostly metallic objects to shift about in various pockets -- and produces a business card that smells of mineral oil, toxic chemical, and jasmine. She looks at it to make sure it's one of the embossed ones then sets it on the table for him.

Daredevil has posed:
"Great," Matt smiles about the invite. "I am looking forward to that."

Matt considers her advice. "Guess, I'll have to get a stun gun, I can probably find him if he's close enough to use one," he says reasonably. Any further than that and his 'blindness' would make any weapon useless. "That'll work on him?" he asks.

As for the card he takes it and runs his hand over the embossed letters, "Thank you, I'll get my office manager to put the number in my phone, " he tucks the card in his pocket and provides one of his own with the number for Nelson and Murdock on it and offers it to May. "So you can reach me. Home number's there under the work line."

Melinda May has posed:
"Actually, no, I can't promise a stun gun would work on him. Pepper spray might be better if only to slow him down enough for you to try to get away. But I can guarantee you, either will make him angry and even more dangerous. So really, best if you avoid him if at all possible, and notify me if you even think you might have encountered him."

She aceepts Matt's card in ecxhange for her own, glancing at the information on it before tucking it away in her jacket, causing something in one of the many interior pockets to make a very brief ultrasonic electronic squeal.

"Make sure your partner and office manager take the same precautions. If Skye's father finds out you're her legal counsel, he might make a point of coming to speak with you."

Daredevil has posed:
There's a nod for the pepper spray idea. "Noted," though when it comes to avoiding the man, Matt can't help but grin just slighly and say: "I'll keep my eyes open."

That squeel hits him hard and he flinches sharply. Quickly realizing he might have given the game away he knocks over his drink. "Damn," he says groping for the little metal napkin dispenser. "Sorry about that. Muscle spasm, hurt my back the other day." He lies smoothly but there's lots of gaps in his little act.

"I'll let them know," he says. "I don't suppose taking her on as a personal client would spare them the trouble? From what Skye said it's unlikely, but figured I'd ask."

Melinda May has posed:
And that right there must be why Skye counts this Murdock as a long time friend. His sense of humor is a little reminiscent of Clint's. Of course she doesn't comment on that aloud, but his abrupt flinch and attempted explanation have her watching him sharply even as she reaches to also get some napkins to help mop up the spilled drink. "Make sure to ice your back when you can," she offers just as calmly as she's said and done everything else, even though she KNOWS his back is actually just fine.

Pushing the soggy napkins aside, she sits back again. "Honestly, no. Just knowing who Skye is puts you in her father's crosshairs. And the closer you are to her, the more likely he is to use you to get to her." Yes, she's making Cal out to sound stalker-level creepy, but honestly, he's far, far worse.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt settles back in his chair, "Thanks, I will," he says of icing his back. "I didn't get any of my drink on you, did I?" he asks, he knows he didn't but the act demands it. He holds up a hand turning his head towards the bar. "Josie, one more?" he asks.

"Sure, sure," she grumbles.

"Great," Matt says dryly about Skye's father, "What are the odds he knows about me?" he asks May point blank. "Also, can I ask a favour of you, Agent May?"

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm fine," May replies to his question about spilling the drink on her. It's a non-answer, but if he can't handle that...

"Honestly, the odds are quite low. If he knew about you, I would think he might have already tried to at least approach you. So I'm hoping that warning you turns out to be a completely unnecessary precaution."

She nods when Matt asks for a favor. "You can ask."

Daredevil has posed:
"Good," Matt says feigning relief about the drink.

"And I suppose that's true," Matt agrees. "And as far as I know he hasn't been around."

Then it's down to the favour. "If her father is tracking down people from Skye's past, I was hoping you might be able to put some surveilance on St. Agnes' Orphanage here in Hell's Kitchen, it's where she and I grew up, and there are good people there who deserve to be protected."

Melinda May has posed:
Clearly, May has NOT read Skye's file, even if she /might/ temporarily have the clearance to do so. It's need to know in her mind, and she DOESN'T need to know. She raises an eyebrow at Matt's request and that's when the pieces click together. They were likely in the orphanage together at some point. And the fact that Murdock's request was for someone other than himself has her already mentally alloting the resources to honor his favor.

"That I can do. I'll have a detail arranged by tomorrow." Though now she's wondering how the lawyer thought to as her for this. After all, she could well be a peon nobody in SHIELD for all he knows.

Daredevil has posed:
Matt's request may have tipped some of his hand, that he knew May was more than just a basic field agent. Still if it saw Father Lantom and Sister Maggie safe he'd live with that.

"Thank you, Agent May. I know I'll sleep better with them safe, Skye too I imagine."

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm glad I can help." Because really, kids in an orphanage already have enough to deal with, they really don't need a psycho Cal Johnson screwing with them as well.

The comlink in May's ear suddenly comes to life with a tiny hiss and crackle. ~ Agent May, mission team Kappa is thirty minutes out. ~ She reaches a hand up in a gesture to anyone else watching would seem like she's idly rubbing at her ear, but she clicks the comm once to acknowledge the message.

"Well, I'm sure I've taken enough of your time."

Daredevil has posed:
"I believe it," Matt says of her being glad to help. It was vote of confidence in the woman. She was a hard read, even for him, but he trusted her.

Matt doesn't react to the comms message.

"It was good to meet you Agent May, and give my best to Skye. Hope she has a safe trip."