Summary:Matt and Jen meet again in the Halls of Justice—aka the courthouse. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Middle of the city in the New York County Court of Manhattan, the old building stands dominant on the street, visible from far off as this tall Romanesque work of architecture that presents a regal facade to what would otherwise be a mundane office building. It climbs up and up some twenty stories above the tall pillars on the elaborate stairs out front of the building. Routinely there are news trucks pulled up, or film crews taking footage, such an iconic building with a long and storied tradition.
What most people don't know, however, that inside the grand old building it is just another great sweeping bureaucracy that is as labyrinthine and convoluted as any department of motor vehicles one can find out in the world.
Police officers and lawyers walk along from one place to another, standing in line to await their time in court. Defendants and prosecutors all share the same space at times while awaiting for the wheels of justice to churn forward in their slow methodical way. It can often be trying.
But for Matt Murdock? It's all just part of the job. To see him resting there on the benchseat out front of the 6th District Courtroom, sitting up straight with his hands resting upon the grip of his cane, his glasses hiding his eyes. He looks pleasant. Pleased, just a small smile on his lips as he waits. Some of his acquaintances might think he is just waiting to see his favorite tv star, instead of just holding for the next case…
What they don't realize is he is just casually relaxing, resting, and listening in to the vibrant pace of conversation in the courthouse building. It is a fount of interesting people and information, and for someone that likes to people 'watch' as much as Matt Murdock, it's a lovely time.
Today is an unusual day for Jennifer Walters. The practice she works out of prefer her to try cases as her human self. Small, brown hair, brown eyes. Cute as a button but nothing worth writing home about. They felt it was more important to have that aspect in court. In most cases, they were right.
But every once in a while, a case called for a special touch. A bit of shock and awe, as it were. Today was one of those. It wasn't Jennifer Walters form that was striding down the hallway, it was She-Hulk. Better known as Shulkie.
She was in a perfect black business suit with a straight skirt, a white button up blouse, her green hair pulled up into a nice updo.
She had her briefcase with her as she moved easily through the people. Not because of her dodging but because they were all getting out of her way. It just came with the territory when one was her size.
Seeing Matt on the bench she was heading for, she smiled and moved to his side. "Mr. Murdock. Would you mind if I join you?" If she got permission, she would sit. This was one of the few benches they'd had reinforced in the place for people like her so she sat here or no where on this floor.
The young litigator smiles distantly, dressed in his finest and well-tailored black suit with his shoes shining as if carved from obsidian, he does cut a dashing figure even as he waits there with his black valise between his feet. At times he'll reach a hand over to lightly rest fingertips upon the face of his watch, the Braille display shifting with the flow of time.
He could tell she was coming, long before most of the people in that hallway could see her. Her heartbeat was deep, slow, and resonant. A powerful muscle that thundered in her chest, and then there was the way others reacted to her, their pulses racing for one reason or another as they moved and got out of the way. And, of course, there were the comments made in her wake. Whispered words of appreciation or condemnation.
In any case it all came down to one thing. She-Hulk was coming and he could tell long before the dulcet tones of her smiling words graced his ears. "Of course, Ms. Walters." Matt stood up, remembering his manners as he smiled and gestured with one hand even as he stepped slightly to the side, one foot sliding his valise out of the way so she can have a good portion of the seat.
"Just taking a quick break or do you have to deal with Judge Rockefeller today too?" Old Rotten Crotch Rockefeller, one of the worst judges sitting these days, corrupt as the day is long, and unassailable what with all his connections. It was his courtroom that Murdock was sitting outside of.
That earned a soft laugh from her, as Shulkie took the offered seat. She crossed her ankles and tucked her feet under the bench so her long legs wouldn't be in the way of people walking by. She made sure to squish up as far as she could to the arm on her side, not wanting to be crowding him when he sat back down.
"Thankfully just a break. Judge Anderson will be getting my dazzling presence in her court today. One of those Need-To-Be-Green affairs." A lot of times, that was a good tactic on cases where her client was a mutant. It helped to show that not everyone who looked different was bad. Well, depended on opinions of lawyers by those viewing, she supposed. Some would still say that was bad.
"Considering your location, I'm hoping you aren't dealing with him today. Just wish someone would get the goods on him and get him taken off the bench," she muttered.
As she makes that condemnation Matt holds up a finger to his lips as if cautioning her, but his smile is warm as he keeps facing straight out toward the wandering people passing by. After all, there are a few of the bailiffs in the area, it's possible she might be overheard. But as Jen… she often doesn't care about such things assuredly.
"I /do/ have the pleasure and the honor to be partaking of the legal process here to do." I'm so screwed. "But, thankfully, this shouldn't be too difficult of a time. Open and shut, we're in agreement with the defendants, just need to cross the 'Is' and dot the 'Ts'." That's right isn't it?
He tilts his head to the side, facing her now slightly. "And you? What bring you out and about in your most elevated of shoes?" Her tallness. Not surprising that he can recognize she's changed since her voice does get a little bit different after all.
Uninhibited is the name of the game when she is like this. Shulkie is a bit more forthright and honest. She's less fearful of repurcussions. At his warning she makes a very unladylike snort but shrugs, something he can't see so she adds. "Better you than me. And fine. I'll try to keep my opinion to myself. Here at least. Outside these wallsor even this floorall bets are off."
She puts an arm on the rest to her side, the other hand laying in her lap for now. "My case shouldn't be too bad. A young man, mutant. His power is involuntary and basically if he enters a room, all the paint turns blue. Everything. It's like a smurf exploded everywhere," she adds with a giggle. "It goes away after he is gone but he went into one of those new age health establishements and they are suing him for tampering with the Feng Shui and thus the healing of their clients. Needless to say, it's going to be tossed out in the end but got to go play the game."
The young lawyer smiles as he lowers his head, trying not to laugh and succeeding. He shakes his head as he listens for those small tell-tale signs that she might be having him on, but no… she's being honest. A curious case.
"Ah yes, clearly that needs the efforts of the Mighty She-Hulk." Matt says and then comments, "Speaking of which…" Matt turns his head slightly to the side and for a moment she can see the half-leer half-smile that's so often worn by the kids that grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Almost like a Brooklyn smirk, all grin with an edge. He tilts his head a little and adds, "There was a thing on the news about some bank robbery? And some lady hero? What was that all about?"
As he says that he seems oh so smug, as if he caught her out and about reading Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey. "I thought you were going to leave that sort of thing to your cousin. Or, were going to try to?" He pulls his cane up and lays it across his lap, hands resting on it as he takes the time to grin in her direction.
"I am just trying to live my life!" Shulkie protests. "I might go out as Shulkie most of the time but I'm just like everyone else. Just taller. And stronger. And green." If she was trying to sell her arguement, she is failing spectacularly.
Now she lowers her voice. Talk about the corrupt judge? Nope, just normal language. Now? Just barely above a whisper.
"I was there on business. In my human form. I had gone there to inquire about their accounts and perks, for my employer. Then these guys, the Wrecking Crew the news called them, come busting in through a wall and breaking into the vault."
She looks around to be sure no one was listening then focused back on Matt. "I tried to reason with them. Explained how they were making a poor life choice and should leave before their felonies increased. Then one of them…" She pauses, taking a deep breath then the next word was a mix of horror and annoyance. "Flicked me. With his finger. He flicked me away like an annoying bug. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there."
The Man Without Fear smiles to himself and nods along as she speaks, listening and holding his thoughts to himself as she explains. And, to be fair, it's not like she went out looking for trouble. Trouble found her. He lowers his head slightly, then quirks an eyebrow as if checking if she's done with her story.
For as much grief as Matt gives her, she can see the sincerity in his smile as he leans a little closer and murmurs, "Well. I'm just glad you're alright." He then exhales a faint chuff that would almost be a laugh before he adds, "I mean sure you're mostly invulnerable and all, but I do sometimes worry I'll be perusing the news one day and then read about you disappearing into an alien space ship or something."
Since… such things have been known to happen. Sort of. But, at the least, she can take comfort that someone out there will worry about her. "Did you stick around to sign autographs? Or did you sneak away trusting for the police to handle it?"
"Not really a lot of people clamoring for autographs. The few that did ask were more excited by Thor," Shulkie says with a bit of a grin. "I can see why. He's hot as hell. Think it comes with the territory. All gods have to be hot. I don't think I ever saw an ugly one when I was studying mythology in school."
She gives another shrug then continues to answer his other question. "I stayed long enough to fill out a witness statement then identify the perps. Not like it was hard. The guys with the really bright costumes laying around on the floor. Poor bank is going to need to remodel. Hope they don't fold since they were new." Random thought that sort of wandered in there.
"I lost my favorite Jennifer suit. But I gained a hoodie. Though I have to give that back. May go knock on the door at the Avengers Mansion to do that on the way home tonight."
"Ah that's right," Matthew says as if he hadn't known about the other hero in the article. "You had some help." But something else she says has his thoughts meandering down that particular line of thought as he holds up a finger, "Vulcan is supposedly misshapen. If you ever meet a Greek god you can ask them." He nods to himself thoughtfully.
For a brief moment, however, he turns his head and frowns. A distant sound stealing his attention from her as she speaks, going on about the costumes, the bank, and then the hoodie. He frowns slightly, and when he turns back toward her she might get a feeling for that subtle sense of tension to him.
"Are you going to be around for a bit, Jen?" He asks her a little rushed, pushing himself to his feet and setting his cane down upon the floor with a faint click-click.
The sudden departure seems odd for him. He didn't even check his watch. Shulkie tilts her head slightly to the side as she watches him rise to his feet. "Yeah, I'm gonna be here for about thirty minutes. No use going out through security and then trying to get back in with such a small window." It takes about that long to get through the line at the security check points downstairs at this time of day.
She frowns a little. "Is something wrong?" She doesn't try to get up.
"I'm…" Matt starts to say something, but his brow knits, expression distanced for a moment. He bites his lower lip and then points to her, "I should…" He then gestures with one hand to the side and down that way… is apparently the rest rooms? Maybe that's what he's gesturing toward. Of course he doesn't /want/ to use that excuse. But the sound of a distant frantic voice could be something where his social standing with Ms. Walters will have to suffer…
In case the woman crying out really does need help.
So he frowns and accepts the chagrin as he asks her, "Would you mind keeping an eye on my valise?" He's already backing up a little and then touching the wall with his hand, as if to guide him down the hallway. "I'm really sorry."
That would explain it. Bathroom and needs to go now. "Mexican food truck for lunch? It'll do it everytime. Yeah, I got your stuff. Go. Hope everything comes out okay."
But there is something off here. The expression, the biting of the lip. That is not the behavior of someone wanting to go to the bathroom. And why not take is valise with him? All the other lawyers do. It's kind of funny looking at the row of stalls and seeing feet and briefcases. It's why she knows that is odd to not take it.
As he works his way down the hall, she is watching him very closely