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Post by Super Chick on Feb 19, 2016 13:07:31 GMT -7
Natasha may not have had a clear indication on what was going on in Hell's Kitchen of late, but she was beginning to. Daredevil was dealing with something related to one of Matt's cases, while Mr. Negative was trying to wrest control of Hell's Kitchen from both he and Fisk. Shriek had become involved. Squirrel Girl and Mysterio, SHIELD and Nuke. All were players, although Natasha doubted Squirrel Girl had a clue in the things in which she dabbled. There was a painting being created here and with all the small battles and heists, independent acts of villainy by the bad guys, it all distracted from the bigger picture. Worse, Elektra was somehow involved, too, which made everything exponentially more complicated.
Matt knew there was no love lost between herself and Elektra. God knows if it were up to either one of them, the other would probably be buried six feet under. Oddly enough, that had happened to Elektra and yet she was literally magically brought back to life. The fact that the assassin's motives were always suspect to Natasha were made more so upon her unnatural resurrection. Who knew what magic might control her, wittingly or otherwise? Beyond that, whether she was controlled or not, Elektra stepping foot in Hell's Kitchen, a place she knew well to be Daredevil's protected city, meant nothing but trouble.
Natasha watched Matt as he took a bite and mulled over his own thoughts. She truly hoped he didn't get entangled with Elektra again. Just meeting with her and speaking could set back any metal health recovery for him by decades. The woman was toxic to everyone she touched, sometimes literally but with Matt it was especially devastating because of her mind games and how she toyed with his heart. The Widow had a bad feeling another confrontation with the b*tch was not too far off in her future.
Matt asked her a question, hypothetically, and Nat raised a brow. She considered it briefly before answering. "Most likely the person in question feels betrayed if they wanted the other in prison. Of course, we both know it doesn't require an actual betrayal to believe something so drastic, even of someone you love. All it would take is a word slipped here or there to make the person doubt, then something to happen that they see as 'proof' of the betrayal. At that point, the gloves come off."
Her memories had gone back to <a time> when Matt thought her capable of such a thing. It hurt her to recall it, but it was a possibility for his hypothetical scenario. Natasha shrugged off the memory and continued. "Or, it could be as simple as greed. Many will do anything for money, even harm themselves, but it doesn't make a lot of sense if all they wanted was to put distance between them, unless there is more to the plan." Natasha exhaled through her nose. The bigger picture of Hell's Kitchen loomed in her mind but she didn't speak of it. "Of course, it could be as simple as another lover...."
Natasha trailed off as she studied Matt and realized something. "But you know more than your question indicated." She leaned forward and her hand touched his forearm as if to stall any other action. "What is it you're really looking for, Matt, because I think you've already realized the motive."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 16:43:51 GMT -7
Greed. The word hung in his head like a home run soaring out of the park. While his eyes were dead to her, he watched her recoil slightly as she recalled a previous encounter between the two of them. The rest of his face gave her the apologetic look, the guilt surfacing for a moment before returning to the depths. She wasn't wrong; whether he was in control of his actions or not was irrelevant, he allowed himself to fall deep into his sense of betrayal, his own love turned inward and he succumbed that darkness within. That desire for justification for one's actions at the cost of others. He took his glasses off, placed his index finger and his thumb on the bridge of his nose for a moment before replacing them. "Even with evidence as to what happened, motive is always guesswork until you see the opposing side. Still..." he said now deep into his thoughts. He sat there a moment before surfacing again. "You're going after her, aren't you," he asked, though his tone wasn't a question so much as a statement. His divided loyalties and his complex need to stay on Tasha's side as much as Elektra's he realized must have given Tasha a serious headache; it certainly gave him one.
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Post by Super Chick on Feb 19, 2016 17:41:45 GMT -7
Matt took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Natasha knew the weight of the world was on his mind, which of course just meant that today ended in a "Y". He always took on more problems than he needed to and, worse, blamed himself when something went wrong that was totally out of his control. He was a man with a hero complex. Natasha understood better than she would admit. But then that was something that helped them remain together for so long: they both had their demons.
He said that she intended to go after Elektra and Natasha merely laughed. "Oh no, darling. I've no need to go after her." She picked up his coffee again and took a sip. When she set it back on the table, she added, "She'll find me when the time is right."
Natasha sighed. "You don't need to worry about us, Matt. I know you will anyway, because that's who you are, but you don't need to. After all," she said, her voice suddenly laced with sardonic humor, "even if I killed the woman she would just come back again to haunt us. It's not worth it."
Having turned his presumption upside down, Natasha turned the conversation back to the issue at hand. "So, you know me well enough to know I'll probably do it anyway, but would you like my help with this?"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 18:45:56 GMT -7
Matt didn't know how to take her response, but smiled hesitantly. He thought for a moment then realized maybe there was something she could look into. "I know this is technically below your rank in SHIELD, but perhaps you could look into how Frank Simpson escaped SHIELD custody and wound up working for someone he kept referring to as "Mrs. Alderbright?" Whatever or whoever she is, it was enough to gain a military extremist psychopath under their thrall, and somehow ties directly to Matt Murdock's case," he said, realizing he just referred to himself in the third person, and not as Daredevil. He heard the radio change to the song "Beautiful Crime," by Tamers. The melody was soft, the vocalist almost crooning. It was a change of pace for the coffee shop, but he enjoyed it. He began humming the harmony in perfect pitch softly. The irony wasn't lost on him: This case? Everything surrounding it? It was a beautiful crime.
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Post by Super Chick on Feb 23, 2016 22:57:11 GMT -7
Matt was hesitant about her response but Natasha was indifferent to his concerns on this topic. Elektra was a wild card at best. She was careless with Matt's heart and more so her choice in allies, but it was the former that condemned her in Natasha's eyes. Every spy and assassin, every person who worked under the cloak and dagger amid the surreal, often had little choice in who their friends were. However, the way the woman played Matthew was a problem the Widow would not permit, especially not now that Matt seemed to be stable again. They may not be partners in any sense of the word, but she meant it when she called him a friend. Natasha would look out for him even if he didn't have the good sense to do it himself.
Natasha pressed those things to the back of her mind. The ninja played a part in things, of that the spy was certain, but for now her focus would not be on what that was. Yes, now, the Widow would go on fact finding missions of her own initiative, though Matt was giving her plenty of places to turn over some rocks. However, he seemed most concerned with this "Alderbright" and his case. Nat would focus there.
"I'm already on it," she replied.
It was this simple reply that would likely lead Matt to think that she was already working on things before she ever asked his permission, and perhaps even before she entered this cafe. The Widow was completely fine with this. She lived her life in ambiguity and was unlikely to tell him if she was even if he asked. The red-haired beauty scooted back the chair, this time permitting a skid across the floor. She stole the last bite of his sandwich as she stood, then wiped her face with his napkin. And, as succinctly as that, the Widow seemed to conclude their morning interlude. Only Matt physically stopping her from leaving would stay her departure.
"Thanks for breakfast," she said cheerily. "I'll be in touch soon." She started to back away then paused to add, "And Matt, try not to redecorate any other walls this week. Your ribs will thank you."
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2016 12:01:36 GMT -7
Matt caught her by the wrist before she could take off. "Tasha," he said, trying as best he could not to sound like a hopeless romantic or like he was pining, because he wasn't. But of all the things he wanted to say to her, he admitted he didn't know where to start. He probably wished he had more time, but given how much time he had already spent on breakfast, Foggy would likely be nagging for him being late. Well, later than usual considering their office hours opening early and he arriving fashionably late. "I know I have a funny way of showing it, especially today, but I do appreciate you stopping by. I've just had a lot on my mind lately, is all. More than usual by my standards, I mean," he said, addressing that the life of a hero was never light, and they all kept irregular hours. "Thank you. Maybe next time it will be under less stressful circumstances. I can hope, can't I?" he concluded.
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Post by Super Chick on Mar 16, 2016 16:29:20 GMT -7
Natasha paused when Matt reached out and took her wrist, and when he spoke her nickname in that all-too-familiar voice, her heart probably skipped an involuntary beat. She looked down on him from her standing position, but that was the only manner in which the Black widow saw herself in any way "above" the man holding her arm. They were equals, she and Matt, even on those days when he forgot about it. They would always be equals in her mind.
He went on to give a semblance of apology for his seeming earlier suspicions of her friendly visit, or at least, his scatterbrained path of conversation during it. He need not have done it for either. Natasha was well aware of all the things he always had on his plate. She was just happy to see him at all, much less sane and alive. Her hand slipped into his as she drew her arm our of his grasp, and Natasha held it for a moment.
"It's always a pleasure to see you, Matt," she said quite sincerely. "But I'm sure that the next time we meet, nothing will have changed." She smiled and bent over to kiss him gently on his lips, then left. Former lovers. Current friends. Always allies. Natasha would have his back, but Matthew's grand hopes that things would ever be less complicated for them in the future was something the Widow clearly recognized as impossible.
But as he said: One can hope. {FIN}
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