capeandcowllogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

WHO: Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios
WHERE: Outside that building everyone arrives in
WHEN: After her arrival.. probably about an hour?
WARNINGS: None that I know of.
SUMMARY: Elektra arrives to some alternate universe and finds the wrong version of her boyfriend. ~~Basically it's Tuesday for a Marvel character.~~
FORMAT: Para? To start at least. Action or whatever is fine afterward!

If Elektra wasn't fairly certain she'd either died or gone insane in the past hour, she'd feel like a child. Waiting around some strange building for someone to pick her up? It wasn't the kind of thing her father had raised her to do. She should be taking charge and finding answers. Right now it just seems like too much. How did she go from worrying if her father and Matt were hurt or dead somewhere to considering the possibility she may be in an alternate universe?

It sounded like something out of bad science fiction movie or a comic book. This couldn't be happening in real life. She had a sinking feeling Matt may come here and confirm everything she was being told. That left her with an entirely different set of problems. How was she going to get back to her father to make sure he had made it out okay? There was the issue of finding out what made him run out on his own party but, she doubted that would go away anytime soon.

Her father never told her anything if he could help it. Just another problem to add to the pile.

Elektra crosses one arm underneath her chest to grip the other, She's tired of answering the phone messages that only add to her growing frustration. Instead she begins to watch the people on the street ahead of her. It's calming even if one occasionally gives her a look for being in revealing silver dress and heels at this hour. Maybe the next few minutes of waiting wouldn't be so bad if she could just focus on the view.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Matt wasn't sure what to make of this situation. Elektra had been in the City before, about a year ago, but she'd been the Elektra he knew from home, the older, hardened Elektra who'd lived and died and lived again. She'd been from the same time he'd been from, they had all the same memories of one another. And her voice had been the same, soft, yet thick and heavy. A voice like honey. This Elektra...

It wasn't the same. There were traces of familiarity, but she sounded so quiet, almost innocent. It reminded him of the first time he'd heard her voice on the Columbia campus. They'd both been so young then, and neither of their lives were quite so tragic.

As Matt rounded the corner to the porter building, he wondered briefly if this woman would be the temporally displaced girl he'd met a dozen years ago. What would she have to say to him, how would she react to him, to the lives they were destined to lead together and apart.

He had little time to fully consider any of that though. Before he could stop himself, he'd walked right up to her, familiar scent and heartbeat and all. Different, yes, but similar enough to be unmistakably hers. "Elektra."

She didn't even recognize him at first. The way he carried himself was different. When Matt she knew was near her he always seemed to be lighter. He was ready to grab her attention whether she wanted him to or not. That was what ultimately started to make her soften to him. He never gave up. He could see something in her that he didn't want to lose a hold of for a single second.

This wasn't how he would react her. It didn't make any sense. How could he look so much like Matt and not be him? How much did she let him get under her skin that just the way he walked up to her said so much?

"Matt." She sizes him up again. She feels belated foolish doing it. He was going to look the same no matter how much she stared at him. "Do you want to explain to me what's going on here?"

Even in person, her voice didn't sound quite right, though she did sound more like the woman he knew with every word spoken. Maybe she wasn't as far removed from his time and life as he'd originally suspected. But she stood differently, moved differently, breathed differently. This wasn't the same woman who'd been an assassin to rival Bullseye. This wasn't the woman who could lead and manipulate the Hand to her will. Perhaps the potential was there; no, he knew the potential was within her. But there was no doubt in Matt's mind that she was not the Elektra he'd always known from home.

Still, he felt he had to proceed with caution. Given what he knew of Elektra, shattering her world and everything she held dear seemed like a pretty rotten idea. And on the off chance he'd misjudged her and she was his enemy... well, better to be safe than sorry, especially when ninjas were involved.

"What do you say we talk about this over coffee? It'll be a bit more private that way." He gave her a genuine smile, one that he hoped said 'I know this is weird, but you have to trust me', and he offered her his hand. He wasn't certain if she'd take it, but it seemed like it'd be worth a shot.

"Coffee?" She shakes her head in amusement. Of course it'd be coffee. At least something about today was turning out to be familiar. It was a nice change from alternate universes and hero talk. For a second she almost forgets something about him is off and just takes his hand. "Sure. Lead the way."

Matt found himself smiling as she took his hand. It was a small gesture, but he was comforted by something so simple. She didn't have to trust him, but she did, and that gave him hope that perhaps things between them weren't irreparably broken. At least not in her world, anyway.

"I know a place, it's just a couple blocks from here. It's friendly to imPorts, lots of us go there when we first get picked up." He said that very casually, conversationally, so as not to alarm her. He'd been through all of this trauma a year ago, he could understand how overwhelming and disorienting it could be. "They've got decent bagels too."

It put her a little more at ease to see him smile. She hadn't gotten the impression he was happy to see her since they spoke over the phone or whatever this thing was. That was strange to say the least. He always seemed happy to see before they even knew each other. Maybe it was the months apart. That would explain a lot, she rationalized.

"So you get kidnapped and go out for coffee and bagels?" That was probably the most normal thing she's heard so far. What did that say about today? "I can't believe that actually sounds really nice right now." She laughs uneasily. "Matt... you know this is crazy, right? You're not going to try to convince me that this is somehow normal."

"It's not normal," he conceded, holding tighter to her hand. "But you get used to it, whether you want to or not." He didn't mean to sound quite as cynical as he did, but that was the way of things. Too much time in this place tended to bring out the cynicism in the most devoted optimists, and if one had even the slightest predisposition toward the jaded and the melancholy, then it could really take hold and never let go. "I've been here fourteen months and none of this seems normal to me. But it is the status quo."

He was glad to hear her laughing though, even if it was uneasy. She'd always had a beautiful laugh, and Matt had always thought to himself that Elektra never laughed enough. It'd been years since he'd heard her really laugh, and he wondered if she was from a time or place where she could really laugh. He'd make it his personal mission, regardless.

"So, how much have they told you about the alternate realities? Enough that you have a clear understanding of the multi-verse?"

That was something. If he hadn't conceded that much she might have given up on trying to find some comfort in having Matt around. Suddenly showing up in another place where everyone expected you to be fine with the oddities of it was ridiculous. She was not a character in a children's book.

She was, however, capable of adapting. Even if Elektra had doubts it was real she could at least carry on like things were fine if only not to make this harder on Matt. He recognized this was insane too and from his perspective he'd had over a year of experience with it.

"I know this is supposed to be an alternate reality and that time works differently here," she says evenly. "That's why from my perspective we were just like this less than an hour ago and to you it's been over a year. I also know some of the people here have experience in jumping between dimensions which why this didn't bother them at first. Anything more than that you're going to have to fill in."

She seemed to have most of the basics down, and for that Matt was extremely grateful. He could make a persuasive argument before a jury, he could talk his way out of the most peculiar of situations, but he always seemed to lack the grace needed to explain this predicament to people he cared about. His thoughts went back to trying to explain this place to May Parker and feeling totally ill-equipped for the job. And May, as darling and important as she was to him, was definitely not Elektra.

"You've got the gist of it," Matt said as they approached the front door of the coffee shop. He held the door for her and let her inside before him. "They call this town The City. It's nearly identical to New York, even the subway lines are the same…"

He trailed off now that they were closer to other people. In fourteen months he hadn't truly experienced any anti-imPort sentiments, but he still was wary of drawing any undue attention to themselves. It seemed an unnecessary risk considering all the trouble the imPorts had endured in the past. For now, Matt joins the line to order their drinks, speaking to Elektra in a more hushed tone.

"There's a couple of things to keep in mind here. Firstly, time works differently here than back home. While you're here, time stands still back home. When you return, everything resumes again, and you won't ever remember being here. And secondly, there are hundreds of alternate realities. You'll meet strangers from foreign worlds," Matt paused mid-sentence, trying to phrase the next part very carefully for her, "And you'll meet people you've known all your life whose home universe is different from your own."

He hoped she'd understand what he meant by that, though before he could continue, the barista politely asked for their order.

Edited 2011-07-09 10:24 (UTC)

Elektra stepped inside first, waiting for him to continue. She took note of how careful he was that no one else would casually hear the explanation. Not everyone here was in the same situation from what she could gather. That was good to know. Elektra did not want to imagine what a replica of New York would be like filled with people who supposedly gained powers upon arrival. The normal one she came from was starting strange as it was.

She felt further relief at the rest of the explanation. If things were exactly the way she left them then Elektra would not have to rely on anyone to look after her father. She could do it herself as if none of this ever happened. That certainly lent to her idea that this was all just a very ill timed dream if none of this really counted toward anything.

The implication caught her off guard though. She had been trying to dismiss that the differences in Matt could be chalked up to over a year in this mad situation. It never really occurred to her that this could be a different Matt altogether... Why would it? She lived a fairly standard life barring... oh. She was supposed to order something.

Elektra smiled politely, hoping she hadn't been caught up in her thoughts for too long. "Just coffee with cream and sugar." Her tone was polite despite feeling anxious. She was eager for Matt to order so he could explain that further. Maybe she was just jumping to conclusions.

Matt ordered his own coffee and stepped aside to let the next patrons order. The sooner they got their drinks and a table, the sooner he'd feel more comfortable in explaining the rest of the situation to Elektra, and the sooner he could determine whether or not she was the exact woman he'd fallen for or a reflection of some kind.

Once their beverages were prepared, he motioned for Elektra to find them a spot, "Would you mind?" He could do it himself, of course, but he didn't know what she knew of his senses. He could get around and move just fine, just like any other man, better, even. But he tried to keep the specifics more guarded. He'd been burned one time too many by giving away his abilities to strangers. Then again, he'd been pretty open with that tidbit when he and Elektra had first met...

"For instance," he began, staying close to Elektra for now, "Take my good friend Peter. He's a man I've known for well over a decade, great buddy of mine. He comes here and he meets a teenage girl, May, who's his daughter in an alternate reality. And better than that..." He trails off, sipping his coffee deliberately slowly, "His ex-girlfriend, MJ, from home arrived a few months later... turned out she was his wife in her world. And she was May's mother in May's world. All three worlds have Peter, but none of them line up exactly the same."

Which begged the question about their own worlds, naturally. But Matt didn't mention that, not yet. There'd be plenty of time to do that later.

"Sure." Her tone asked why he would need her help as she lead the way to the nearest booth. She figured out in the park that blind act was just a way to get her attention. He was good, better than most people. She could only guess he was playing it up again for the people here. He never had to really explain himself to her but, other people may not be as generous.

"So what you're saying is we can have people we know here but, their lives could have turned out a little differently," Elektra says carefully. This still doesn't tell her if his life is different from hers. She's not sure if he's dancing around it or just trying to make her understand what she's involved in. Either way she wanted to get to the point already.

"Peter breaks up with MJ or he marries her and eventually has kids; the whole world changes based off one decision and how far that decision was allowed to go. It's classic what if scenario," she says casually, taking a sip of coffee. "Which leaves me with a serious problem. You see I know you're still lawyer. Everyone I spoke to that knew you confirmed it. You're still a good enough man to inspire loyalty out of the people here. I also know you still know me and must care enough or have something to gain by explaining this." She pauses deliberately. She doesn't want to go here but, it's necessary; smart.

"But, that's not enough to really know if you're the man I can trust unconditionally. Normally I'd continue to take my chances but, I'm at a disadvantage being the new one here. If I'm wrong, no one is going to care if I wind up dead somewhere and I don't know if I'll go back home or just stay dead. I can't let that happen for his sake." She hopes he gets that if her suspicions are wrong. Her father has to come first. "So I want you to tell me how we know each other and what exactly our relationship is. If something happened that made you hate me for whatever reason just tell me. We'll go outside and have it out. I won't put up with being tricked because you were able to figure out from that call what the Matt I know means to me."

Matt couldn't help but be impressed by her. He knew she was intelligent and articulate, those had always been appealing qualities he'd admired in her, but he couldn't help but smile slightly into his coffee cup. Even so, the smile quickly faded as he thought over the implications of what she was saying. There'd been bad blood between them, they'd both led lives that had put them at odds so many times in his past... But they held a truce now. He wondered if Elektra and the Matt of her world had been similarly conflicted.

"We met in college," he said slowly, listening closely to her for any sound, any reaction at all. "We were at Columbia. I was pre-law, you were poli-sci. You wouldn't give me the time of day, you made me show off and impress you so we could ditch your bodyguards for awhile." He set his cup down, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "You were my first love, Elektra. And you were more than that, you were my friend."

The next part would be trickier to explain, he knew. He didn't want to dive into secret identities and ninja training if that was foreign concepts to her. God, did superheroes even exist in her world? He couldn't help but wonder, since they didn't seem to in so many. Part of him felt weird explaining it anyway. He wasn't sure if she knew any of this already everything he was saying or if this was all a revelation to her. As it was, he felt he had little choice but to plow ahead.

"When your dad was killed you dropped out of school and left the country. I didn't hear from you for years. But we got back in touch awhile ago..." He paused, trying to be as articulate as a man of his profession ought to be. "I don't hate you, Elektra. Things are complicated with us, they can be tense, strained... but it's never been hate. Not ever."

Smiling was a good sign that her suspicions were baseless. She listened without interrupting though at many points she wanted to. The first set of surprises were fairly mild. She liked the idea that they met earlier. College would have gone a lot better if she had him around.

For a moment, Elektra was a little envious of her other self. She not only got to know him longer they actually reached the point where they actually put names on what went on between them. She knew they were friends and that there was love between them as new as it was but, it was nice to hear him acknowledge it.

Hearing that her father was killed hit a strong cord. For a few seconds she forgets to breathe. That's her worst fear. To think she actually lived through it in another time and place... well she didn't want to think about it. Elektra forced herself to exhale. The rest of what he said seemed so far off that she can barely hear it. She got the gist of it. He didn't hate her. That was good. One less thing to worry about. She should say something before he started to wonder aloud what actually gave her pause out of all that.

"That's good," she says weakly before trying again. He had thrown her and it showed in her voice. She hated to be showing that kind of weakness even to Matt. "Really. I don't want to fight you." A little better but, it was still there. She realizes it's not going away anytime soon so she may as well own up to it. "That never happens; my father getting killed. He's alive and spent the better part of the night staring at you actually. You probably know that's him trying to tolerant."

Her reaction had him on edge, even if outwardly he was more or less playing it cool. He could tell something in his version of events had bothered her, and he easily figured that it was her father's death. Even with the Elektra from his world it was a highly sensitive topic, one he should have known better than to rush right into. Matt was kicking himself for not being delicate with it, though he relaxed slightly on hearing her speak.

So he was alive? That was certainly different. And that likely meant Elektra hadn't withdrawn from the world, hadn't left the country, hadn't become the ninja assassin so feared in Matt's universe. He wondered then what she was, if she wasn't swept into a life in the shadows. Had she finally gotten that political science degree? Was she living the life she'd been meant for before the tragedy of her father's assassination?

"I don't want to fight you either," he offered, catching the hint of weakness in her voice. Funny as it seemed, it was almost comforting to hear that weakness. He knew, probably better than anyone else, just how strong and fierce she was. But he also knew how gentle she could be, and how fragile she'd once been. Her voice right now was like a tiny glimpse into his past, their past. "Will you tell me about how we met? About this party we were at with your father?"

Elektra nods, doing her best to shove away the emotions brought up by hearing his version of their lives. It was always a possibility her father would be killed like her mother. That was just a world where it had happened. It had no bearing on her life so there was no reason to be upset by it.

"It's really close to how you remember it actually." She smiles at the memory of it. "It was in a place like this." She gesture vaguely at the coffee shop. "I was trying to ditch my bodyguards and I needed to blend in with a crowd. You were sitting there with your friend. I barely even noticed you two there but, you noticed me." She sounds amused. "You did everything you could to get me to talk to you and I still ended up walking out. I wouldn't even give you my name but, that didn't stop you. You followed me to this playground to convince me to change my mind and we got into a big fight in front of all the kids there. They actually cheered us on."

Elektra laughs. She felt embarrassed remembering it now. It was a good thing the kids didn't realize she was actually fighting a handicapped person then. "You lost but, I was so impressed by the way you fought that I gave you my name and promised to find you again. And that's it. That's how we met." She taps her fingers against her coffee cup before continuing. "As for the party, well, it was more of a social event I had to go to regardless of you. It's called the Black and White Ball. My father and I have at our hotel every year. Everyone with power and influence in the city goes. I usually just make small talk for a few hours to make a good impression on my father's business associates and leave but, this year I invited you. There was some trouble towards the end but, we were having a good time until I ended up here."

"Hmm, yes. That sounds just like us." There was something comforting in hearing that their meeting in her world had been so similar to what he remembered. It indicated to him at least that despite the differences in their past, there were common bonds with their alternate selves that couldn't be ignored. He listened to her story, nodding thoughtfully as she continued.

"I'm glad we were enjoying ourselves. Whatever the trouble was, I'm sure it wasn't so bad." He took a sip of his coffee, deciding to share more about her father in his world. "Your father wasn't a businessman in my world. He was a diplomat, an ambassador. I didn't get to know him very well, but the two of you were very close."

Elektra absorbs that for a moment before smiling. "That explains the political science degree." She hadn't really absorbed that fully in the wake of hearing what became of her father there. "I guess it doesn't matter what reality gets thrown at me. I still follow whatever he does." She doesn't sound bitter about. Elektra was for the most part satisfied with her life before this happened.

She takes a sip of coffee, thinking of what to dive into next. "I finished college with a degree in business. Whenever my father is ready to retire, I'm going to take over his business and all that entails." She pauses a minute before sighing. If she was going to go into this, it was better to do it now. She might not have a nerve later. "I can't even begin to know what I'm supposed to do without him. Ever since my mother died, we've been inseparable. How did I find a way to keep going after that?"

Matt wasn't exactly sure how to answer her. Would explaining what he knew of her exodus and downward spiral into the world of ninjas and assassins truly be the best thing for her to hear? Would feigning ignorance really be any better? Matt was caught in a tough spot, wanting to both respect Elektra and her privacy and legacy, and wanting to protect her from the difficulties she'd faced in his world.

"You worked hard," he said after a moment, expression settling into something of a frown. "You immersed yourself in your training. You worked for a singular goal, and you let nothing stand in your way." After a brief moment, he added, "You're something of a underworld celebrity in our world, Elektra."

"Underworld celebrity." She shakes her head. That was out there; the tone in her voice reflected it. In a world without her father anything was possible she supposed. Elektra wasn't a coward. Even if the thought of life without him didn't seem possible she would still go through it. The question was how far gone was she to reject the only other person she ever cared about that wasn't blood related to her and what goal she could have afterward.

After a tense moment she decides it's better not to know. That was a future, a life that was completely unacceptable to her. She'd never let it come to be so there was no point in dwelling on it too hard. "Forget I asked about it. I don't even know for sure what I'm going to do once we walk out of here. I don't need to be focusing on a life that's never going to happen," she says almost defensively. "It is never going to happen, Matt. If nothing else you can count on that. I'm not going to run off on you or lose him ever."

"Good," he said, forcing his voice to sound more optimistic about her resolve than he actually was. He didn't want to doubt her, he knew she was capable and strong. But he'd witnessed a deterioration first hand, he knew better than anyone just what she'd pushed herself and trained herself to become. It was difficult for him to not be somewhat cynical, to keep his mind free from doubt.

But that was in his world, of course. He had to remind himself that the woman across from him, no matter how painfully familiar, was not the same woman he'd loved and lost. She wasn't the scarlet-clad assassin. Not yet, anyway.

"When we walk out of here, I'll take you to the MAC. It's an apartment building just for people like us, people the Porter brought in. We each have an apartment there. I use mine as my office, so I'll be right nearby."

She nods, paying an unnecessary amount of attention to her coffee cup. "I've heard about it." There was a lot of information she was going to have to sort through once she's alone. Elektra wasn't exactly looking forward to it. A part of her was tempted to just stay in here with Matt until this ended. Problem was if he'd been here so long it didn't feel all that likely she'd go back any time soon.

"I guess it's a start. I'll find a way to take care of the rest." She sounds tired at the prospect of literally starting for scratch (or maybe it's the even more tragic alternate life) but, catches herself enough to add, "I'm not going to be stopping in unless I need your services or find somewhere nice to take you." That small show of pride was undermined by a realization. He might not even want her around considering how their relationship went in his reality. "Would you want that? It's one thing to help me understand what I've gotten into. You help people all the time. Am I pressing my luck with occasional visits in the future? Assuming I'm here that long."

He was a bit surprised by her reaction at first, but a moment later he smiled and nodded. Elektra was fully capable, he knew this full well. But part of him also always saw himself as her protector, or at least wanted to be that to her. He never could fully shake that instinct from way back when. But he wasn't going to intentionally insult her by refusing to try.

"You're not pressing your luck." He sounded firm, insistent, yet gentle. His voice was almost vulnerable, really. He was being honest with her, probably more honest than he'd been with his home-verse's Elektra in quite some time. Things were different though. This woman was a different woman. He wasn't sure what he could promise her; his life had always been a complicated disaster, one series of catastrophes after another. But he would at least try. He always tried. "My door is always open to you. If you want to get dinner, we'll get dinner. If you want me to cook for you, I'll heat you up a can of soup. You need legal help, I'm your man. You need someone to talk to... I'm your friend. That won't change."

She genuinely smiled at that. His sincerity wasn't lost on her. It was kept her from straight out rejecting him from being different from the man she remembered out of frustration with the situation. Elektra was sure now more than ever that at least this decision since her arrival shortly ago had been right.

"So much for hoping that out of the two of us you knew how to cook." She says playfully. Elektra toys with her coffee cup for a second before adding in sincerely, "Thank you. I can handle this all by myself. I know that. But, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't prefer having you around different lives or not. I'm still your friend too. I can't offer you much right now obviously but, I'll do whatever I can. I promise."

Matt was glad to hear this, reassured and comforted by her promise. He believed everything she'd said to him. Elektra would take a lot of getting used to, he'd have to remember that whatever they were in his world, they hadn't been in hers and vice versa. But he always liked a challenge, didn't he? And he wasn't about to back down now.

He finished up the last of his coffee and offered Elektra a friendly smirk, "Well, are you about done with that? You've got a whole City to explore, you know? There's lots more to this place than this little old coffee shop."

Elektra likes the change in tone. At least one thing was being settled until she could get out of this place. "I'm sorry. Did I miss the cue that you were ready to play my overenthusiastic tour guide?" She smirks at him before downing the last of the coffee. "Alright I'm up for it. I have to find a way to change. That is unless you want to be seen any longer with some strange woman wearing a revealing ball gown in the middle of the day."

"Who am I to question your fashion sense?" He teasingly asked her, a playful grin tugging at his lips. A moment later he was on his feet again, offering Elektra an arm. "I'd be glad to walk you to the MAC, I've got some female friends there that probably have some clothes you can borrow. That is, unless you'd rather wander around on your own, of course."

"No one. I wore to impress you. If I had known I was going to end up here by the end of the night I would have stuck with jeans." Elektra doesn't hesitate to take his arm as she gets up. "And for the time being, I'm hanging around you. I'll have plenty of time to enjoy not being followed around everywhere later."

"Sounds like a good way to spend the day, if you ask me." Matt grinned at her as he led her to the exit, silently checking his own pride over her dressing up for him. It wasn't for him, it was for the other Matt, but it still felt nice to be wanted on some level. "Shall we, milady?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only