Out and about or something
It was getting late but Melantha still wasn't ready to go back into the building quite yet due to her concern about running into her mother. For the last few days, Zia had been acting strange--- they had clashed on several occasions and the latest clashing had resulted in the two of them almost fighting. Maybe she should stop insulting Hank as much as her mother seemed to take it a lot more violently than she had expected her to. After Zia swiped at her once, Melantha had decided to give her mother the time to work out whatever might have been going on. There was something definately off about the woman. Maybe it was that male affecting her.
A growl sounded from deep in her chest. That big blue furry bastard better not have caused this change. Melantha already disliked him but she couldn't stand the thought of Zia losing love for her own daughter due to that man. Just in case he actually was the cause of Zia's moodyness, Melantha was thinking of ways to get rid of him as she paced the grounds of the manshion. She would have to do it in a way where Zia wouldn't suspect that it had been her.--- Then there was that other attention grabber that seemed to be hogging up her mother's affection: Jade. Jade was not as much of a problem though. The adoptive sister was niave and it would not be too hard to manipulate her out of the immidiate love zone and to wedge herself between the two.
The growl ceased as the thoughts continued and melantha found herself calming to normal and stepping out of the uneasiness and anger she had been feeling before. To be angry wasn't like her. She preferred to be a peaceful person. Tranquility was so much more pleasant and something she had grown to love. Melantha took a deep breath, holding it for a good minute before releasing it and almost instantly felt completely better.
::On a night like this, how can anyone feel anything but serene?:: She thought.
As she rounded a corner of the building, she paused. There was someone there-- a man.
::On a night like this, what would someone be doing outside wearing sunglasses?:: She wondered as she stared to try to figure out what was going on.
Curious to what was going on, Melantha sank into her prowling position, her tail snaking behind her as she drew closer to see for sure if it were sunglasses he was wearing or if she had just gotten a look from an odd angle and it was really regular glasses on his face. She kept the bushes between them as she slinked closer for a better look.
Hank was right, the grounds were quiet at night. Quiet enough for training anyway. Matt had to admit that he was grateful for the opportunity to ease his still recovering body back into its usual strenuous routine somewhere other than ithe holographic environments offered by the danger room. While he more than acknowledged the utility of the place still its artificially recreated surroundings unsettled him throwng his still out of sync powers into further confusion rather than helping him to recover the uncanny radar sense that his encounter with Doc Occ had stripped him of.
Here though there everything was real, the trees , each one with its attending smells and sounds mapping themselves onto Matt’s consciousness with every rustle of their branches. Ok, they weren’t exactly the skyscrapers he was used to flinging himself off but they would do for a start and he was a hell of a lot less likely to kill himself if he missed his mark here rather than high over New York. Even so the crime fighter was hardly going to launch himself up in to them haphazardly. Pushing himself to fast too soon would only result in a return trip to med lab and Matt had to admit that, despite the growing friendship between himself and the resident physician, he had had more than enough of lying in bed strapped to the strange alien machines that had saved his life.
Besides he had promised to take care which was the only reason that the good doctor had authorised this little late night training session, making sure that those on security watch knew about the plan just in case they saw the blind mans workout as some sort of threat and decided to intervene. Matt smiled a little wryly at the thought. Not that he’d present them with much of a challenge in his present condition. At the moment he felt about as dangerous as a week old kitten. Though to be honest he didn’t look it. Damaged it might be, but his body was still that of an athlete and what he was wearing only emphasised that fact. Rather than the familiar red costume he usually wore he had opted for one of the black leather training outfits so prevalent at the Institute and instead of the demon mask his face was obscured only by his habitual dark glasses. After all he didn’t have to cry from the rooftops that Daredevil was in temporary residence at the Institute now did he. And lets face it, it wouldn’t do his reputation any good if one of the students happened upon the the self proclaimed defender of Hell’s Kitchen falling over his own feet .As could so well happen if his abilities continued to refuse to cooperate.
It was early days though he reminded himself. There was no need to worry just yet. But that didn’t stop him from doing so all the same. There was always the possibility that this time things wouldn’t get back to what for him was normal. And that would put an end to Daredevil as effectively as if he had died in the sewers. Matt drew a deep breath and calmed his thoughts. There was no point in panicking over it. And in any case, even if it did end up that he couldn’t go head to head with New York’s lowlifes on the streets, that didn’t mean that he was finished as a crime fighter. After all there were many ways to fight corruption and if Daredevil was no more, then at least Matt Murdock was still there ,and in the courts he was a formidable opponent.
Still, it might not come to that. His radar had disappeared before and he had managed to get it back. There was no reason that it wouldn’t happen again. If he gave it time. And exercise! Smoothly Matt started his warm up, stretching muscles gently before he began demanding more of them. The pressups set his arm throbbing , the trunk curls had his ribs calling for mercy. But nothing actually refused to work and that was all he could really hope for given the circumstances. When it came time for gymnastic moves though, the glasses had to go. He had broken enough things recently without adding them to the list. Matt set them down out of harms way then carefully pushed himself up into a handstand, measuring the strength in the aching arm as well as the sense of balance that any still lingering problems with his hearing might still be affecting. He was concentrating hard, not so much on the move itself which was after all second nature to him but on the messages his body was sending him and so she got closer than she should have been able to before he became conscious of her This female who was watching him.
The scent was both different and familiar at the same time and as for the energy ……While it was not the flaring brilliant display he had witnesses in med lab it was undoubtedly the same, still there like electricity tugging at the edge of his senses. Zia.. and yet not Zia! Ahhh that could only mean one thing! He was about to meet the latest addition to Hank’s rapidly growing family. And if she was anything like her mother, which according to the doctor was indeed the case, that could only be interesting.
Effortlessly, or at least so it seemed , Matt flipped himself backwards, landing to face the still hidden figure. Moonlight lit the copper coloured hair and mirrored itself in his clouded eyes. “Melantha! If I’m not very much mistaken” he said with a smile “What brings you out here so late?”
Re: Out and about or something
She was silent as she continued to observe the man from her sopt in the bushes while he stretched and began on excersizing. Well-- that explained why he was outside at this time of night but she couldn't guess why he would be wearing the sunglasses. When he removed them, Melantha became more curious and stalked a but closer. Maybe the glasses had a device of some sort in them? Something like night vision goggles but in a more compact form to be less conspicious?
Muscles rippled under the velvet short fur and the loose clothing that lay over it as she crawled on all fours her body nearly pressed to the ground as she inched closer. Her tail continued to snake behind her-- almost seeming to have a life of its own but at the same time keeping from brushing againt the leaves. She was just about to reach out and grab the sunglasses when the man suddenly went from standing on his hands to flipping backwards and Melantha reacted by going form the lay-like crouch to more of a squatting one-- her markings betraying her startled condiiton while the fur fluffing on her tail did the same.
“Melantha! If I’m not very much mistaken-- What brings you out here so late?”
A good deal of things ran through her mind: How did he know her when shehad been there for only a short time and didnt know him? How had he known she was there when even some animals had trouble detecting when she prowled?--- And What the hell? He was blind!
She could tell that he was blind by the way his eyes looked. The way the way they were clouded over with not a trace of the pupil showing through. It gave her a slightly more idea of how he had found out that he wasn't alone but she hadn't thought that people still allowed themselves to carry on in life as independant strong people these days after they were-- as most would put it-- disabled. A confident blind martial artist was something she more of expected back when she was a kid than these days. And withthe way he carried himself she could tell that he had been blind for a handful of years at least.
Melantha slowly stood up, her markings dimming and going to the normal night time glow as she did so. There came the rustle of the bushes and she hopped over them and walked up closer to the man.
"Yeah, I'm Melantha.... Are you a telepath or something?"
Unlike her mother, melantha had no accent in her speech except for an American one.
Re: Out and about or something
As soon as the words had left his mouth he knew he had taken a risk. No, in all honesty he had known it long before he had even spoken. From the very first instant her scent had reached him Matt had been aware that he was playing with fire. But then again there was no way to know what was and was not acceptable here. If Melantha’s mother was anything to go by that was. And in any case the actual lapse of time between identification and action was still short enough to make even someone like him wonder if he was doing the right thing. Though in the end he had opted for honesty! A sheering away of all those layers of necessary deceit he was so used to setting up between himself and all those he came in contact with.
This woman wasn’t necessarily someone who would appreciate all those kind, half truths that littered everyday life. And to have offered them to her would perhaps have been even more problematic than to have smiled and charmed and simply feigned ignorance. After all, hadn’t that been in some fundamental way what the whole battle between Zia and Hank had centred around? Trust! It was at the basis of her submission after all, even if he doubted as he was sure Hank did, that Zia had ever submitted to anything. Still the glove had been thrown down and he had risen too the challange ' Prove to me you can protect me and maybe then I might just let you.' Or more importantly, 'prove to me that you’re willing to try and that will count for everything!'
Matt wasn’t in the same situation here. There were no ties binding him to this unknown female. No love that he had to prove against all odds. But still he felt that if he was ever going to relate to her in any way then he had to start out clean. As he had with Zia! With no mask between them! Not even one of leather or of glass. With Melantha he suspected it would have to be all or nothing .And he had already decided which one it was going to be. So he stopped and listened as she asked her questions Then answered as best he could
“ Pale male child! “ He said with a grin. “ At least that’s what your mother called me when we first met.She also added that I looked ‘injured and stubborn and weak but not evil’. If that helps Although my name is Matt Murdock! And you’re right. I should have introduced myself! Lets just say that you caught me by surprise and so my manners left a lot to be desired”
Instinctively he had moved into a more defensive stance though he felt no inclination to fight. Nor had her heart beat inducated that she was ready to attack. Still it would somehow have seemed disrespectful to do anything less faced with a warrior of her standing. ‘And no I’m no psychic. God forbid! I have enough trouble with sensations intruding on me let alone thoughts. Lets just say that you smell like your mother” .”His smile showed that this was far from being an offence. “And you have the same energy inside you waiting to be ignited
“Besides…… “ Oh he knew he was treading on shakier ground here but truth was all or nothing! “I’m sort of a resident in med lab at the moment…………. And Hank told me her daughter had come to stay for a bit. I just put two and two together”
Re: Out and about or something“ Pale male child! “
At first when he said that, Melantha just gave him a slightly odd look as she tried to remember where she had heard that from before. It sounded like a lable her mother would give to someone.
“ At least that’s what your mother called me when we first met.She also added that I looked ‘injured and stubborn and weak but not evil’. If that helps Although my name is Matt Murdock! And you’re right. I should have introduced myself! Lets just say that you caught me by surprise and so my manners left a lot to be desired”
She was right, her mother did have something to do with his title that he had offered up as a first introduction. A soft chuckle came from her, Melantha standing up straighter in a more civil manner than the slight crouch that she had earler and fiddling with one of her long sprite-like ears. She looked a bit more shy now and was kind of glad that Matt couldn't see her.... Or could he? He had mentioned the energy and she was well aware of that being a thing that wasn't completely worldly.
"And no I’m no psychic. God forbid! I have enough trouble with sensations intruding on me let alone thoughts. Lets just say that you smell like your mother... And you have the same energy inside you waiting to be ignited.”
The coincidense of his saying that went from interesting to a little creepy in a short amount of time as he had spoke out something that her mind had been holding as a topic only a little while ago a well.
“Besides…… I’m sort of a resident in med lab at the moment…………. And Hank told me her daughter had come to stay for a bit. I just put two and two together”
An irritated twitch came from her tail at the mention of Hank and the fact that he had used the words 'stay for a bit'. Oh, that big blue bastard only hoped that she was only staying for a bit. Had he been there now, she would have snapped at him.--- But he wasn't and this Matt fellow couldn't help the fact that he was a friend of that man somehow so she bore no ill will. Instead she smiled politely.
"I will be staying for more than just a bit. Actually, I plan on remaining here until my mother decides it is time to move locations again." She corrected in a gentle tone. Hank would never see her true side: the polite and sweet side--- as he was a rival for her mother's affections and someone she did not agree on being with her mother--- but while he was not there, she showed it and showed it freely.
"You don't have to worry about if you were not polite or not, I can more than understand. Thank you though for your concern, it's appreciated. I'm sorry for interrupting. My curiosity got the better of me and I was pretty sure that my stalking skills were better than that." She stated with a small laugh at herself.
Re: Out and about or something
She wasn’t going to attack, that much was clear. Though he had never really thought that she would! If he had been forced to put a name to the emotion that had brought Melantha here then he would have chosen curiosity. And not just because she had a lot in common with a cat!
In any case her body language didn’t speak of violence. Even if it did add another physical factor into this already interesting equation! There was something disturbing the air behind her. Causing it to flick from side to side! A tail! Now that was a surprise. Even at her best, or worst, Zia had never exhibited one of those. Or hey……at least not in the only battle he had ever been privileged to witness .. and Matt suspected he may just have been privy to one of the most intense and the most consequential! No. if Zia could have pulled a tail out of the hat when she had been battling with Hank then she surely would have done so. For as a fighter himself, Matt was sure that in such a conflict she would have held nothing back.
It had been a necessary duel. A rite of passage, not simply into adulthood, for Hank and Zia had both made that leapt years before, but into something vastly more complicated. He himself had undergone something like it in a school playground, when he had followed an unknown woman out of cafeteria and into an all too uncertain future. It had hardly been the place for a mating ritual like the one he had witnessed in med lab but then he was sure that Hank too would have picked another venue given the choice. None the less….It was there that he had first tested himself against Electra. And proved himself worthy. And if less blood had been spilt, then that had only been because they had been playing by a so called ‘civilised’ society’s rules.
But back in the lab Matt had felt the sexual tension explode between Hank and Zia in a way that had almost scared him. Not because of its intensity, but rather because he feared that he himself would never be able to let go like that. They had somehow broken through all the barriers and taboos that modern society insisted had to be kept in place and taken things back to a level Matt had barely glimpsed with Electra but certainly never had the time to fully explore. And even if she had lived….would they ever have been able to attain that primeval passion? Would they really have wanted too?
Matt hadn’t personally known Hank McCoy for very long, though the man’s reputation had preceded him. A doctor of immense talent! An intellect, recognised world wide despite the overwhelming handicap of his own genes! A stalwart defender of mutant rights! And up close? A genuinely nice, caring guy, with a sense of humour that made Matt laugh out loud and a bedside manner to die for! One whose intelligence and basic integrity shone through each and every one of his actions! .
And yet…… Zia had somehow stripped all of that away from him and made him…… What…? Something less? Something more? Something else that was sure. Something that was hers and hers alone! Just as she too, in those few moments, had become wholly his.
Was that why Melantha resented him so much? Because she obviously did! Even if he hadn’t previously read between the lines of what Hank had said and realised that all was not exactly right between the doctor and his recently acquired step daughter , Melantha’s body language would have given the game away.
Having frequented Talia rather a lot recently, Matt prided himself on becoming somewhat of an expert in interpreting tail movements. And Melantha’s was definitely far from happy. "I will be staying for more than just a bit. “ she told him, her voice surprisingly mild considering the irritation that he was reading from her. “Actually, I plan on remaining here until my mother decides it is time to move locations again."
OKK…. Sooo………. She really didn’t see this thing working out between Zia and Hank, did she? Or was it that she just didn’t want it too? Because from what he had witnessed Zia seemed ready to stay around for quiet some time to come!
In any case it was clear that the doctor wasn’t exactly high on Melantha’s list of favourite people. Which was a shame in Matt’s book! But probably not something he should get involved in. Not unless she invited him, that was. Because if she asked him what he thought about Hank then he wasn’t going to lie. Honesty was after all a double edged blade. And one which he had already drawn! Even if he did know how to wield it with a certain degree of proficiency! Enough perhaps to keep it from cutting her too deep!
"You don't have to worry about if you were not polite or not, I can more than understand. Thank you though for your concern, it's appreciated. I'm sorry for interrupting.”” Melantha said, her voice and words both making him even more sure than he already had been that he didn’t want to hurt her. “ My curiosity got the better of me” she admitted, confirming his own deductions “ and I was pretty sure that my stalking skills were better than that."
“Your stalking skills are incredible. Normally I should have sensed you long before you got this far” ” he told her frankly, not boasting but merely stating facts. Matt relaxed his stance now, acknowledging the presence of the woman that lay behind the warrior he had expected to encounter. “That sounded condescending.. I’m sorry……” he said with an apologetic smile. “It wasn’t meant to be. Its just that………. even if I am blind……….. my other senses more than make up for that. And you.. well you got close enough to attack if you had wanted too. And that’s something I have to admire. And maybe even worry about” he added with a mischievous smile
Re: Out and about or something“Your stalking skills are incredible. Normally I should have sensed you long before you got this far” Matt stated. Melantha grinned but also did her version of a blush, her markings nearly humming as they lit up and heated as her blood rushed to the surface of her skin. Compliments were not something she got often.
“That sounded condescending.. I’m sorry…… It wasn’t meant to be. Its just that………. even if I am blind……….. my other senses more than make up for that. And you.. well you got close enough to attack if you had wanted too. And that’s something I have to admire. And maybe even worry about” He told her.
She gave a slightly timid chuckle, her tail wrapping itself around one of her legs.
"Don't worry--- I didn't take it as you being condescending." She stated warmly.
"And I wouldn't attack you unless it was for a very good reason. I am not too interested in hurting anyone." She gave another chuckle. "Anyway, people taste terrible." She commented in an almost joking tone.
It had been a long time since she had eaten a human. At least a few centuries. And they did taste terrible compared to other meats she have eaten. The only thing worse she could think of as far as tastes went was rotting carcas.
Re: Out and about or something
There were temperature fluctuations going on in Melantha’s body that went far beyond that of a human. Instinctively Matt ran his senses over her like so many invisible and intangible fingers, mapping the markings on a body he couldn’t see but which he could certainly perceive.
There were shapes there, written in an archaic language he couldn’t begin to interpret but which none the less made her physical form ‘visible’ in a way which even rain usually failed to do. It was intimate, from his side at least. More so that the situation warranted and yet somehow he couldn’t draw back! For after all this stimulation was almost visual, and that was something that, even despite his better judgement, he craved above all else.
And so he could almost ‘see’ as well as feel the way that Melantha’s tail curved round her leg as she replied. "Don't worry--- I didn't take it as you being condescending." That was good. That was what he had hoped for. That she would at best read his intentions and at worst let him explain them. There was more though, or so he thought. A thread of something almost like acceptance, running through her body language! Making him in turn relax in her presence.
"And I wouldn't attack you unless it was for a very good reason.” she confirmed readily enough. “I am not too interested in hurting anyone." He had never though that she would be. Though he noted the use of the word ‘too’ with a certain, more than academic interest.
Not that he had even for one moment considered this woman as being safe. He had just thought that she would have needed some reason to push her into violence. Even if he hadn’t been entirely sure that he would have been able to recognise what that reason might be.In the very least her unpredictability made her interesting. But then again, Matt acknowledged, with a grin, when had any woman ever been predictable!
"Anyway,” Melantha continued nonchalantly “people taste terrible." Matt had already started to chuckle at the joke when h e suddenly realised that his senses were telling him that this wasn’t in the least funny.
There had been many times in the past when he had regretted his ability to detect when people were telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. All those evenings when women had told him that his blindness had nothing to do with the fact that they’d rather not see him again. Each and every day when someone he knew to be guilty walked free from the courtroom, defying the justice he has sworn to protect !
This though, was something else. A situation he had never thought to find himself in. Confronted with someone for whom the idea of eating a human being wasn’t even a taboo but merely a disagreeable gastronomic incident. Like a bad oyster or an unfortunate bottle of wine.
It stopped him in his tracks, leaving him exposed as he had only claimed to be before; making much of a so called honesty that he suddenly realised was never intended to run quite this deep. Revealing for once the gulf between prey and predator… even if he was far from being ready to roll over and expose his throat!
“Ill bear that in mind” he said quietly, returning to the defensive mode he had left scant minutes before. “ And take it that it means that you have no interest in adding any to the menu just yet.
Re: Out and about or something“Ill bare that in mind... And take it that it means that you have no interest in adding any to the menu just yet.
She didn't miss the fact that he had become defensive after his chuckle had died off. How could she not notice when she had seen in plenty of times in other people.
"It was a long time ago and I'm hoping you won't hold it against me." She commented, speaking about the consuming of human beings.
"I haven't done it in over half a millenia so you don't have to worry about me suddenly changing my mind and trying to take a bite out of you or anyone. You're definately not on he menu-- as far as food goes." She told him.
The whole time, Melantha made sure to keep from making any sudden movements. She knew better than most people on how easily prey-- no people became startled when there was a possibly preditor nearby. She hadn't meant to think 'prey' it had happened because she had been thinking on the topic of not thinking of humans as food so hard. She didn't want to think of humans as food even if all living creatures were like people to her.
"Um.... I...." Melantha didn't really know what to do as the moment seemed to turn really awkward for her. She wasn't used to this... But, she knew how to adapt.
"Okay... I'm going to try to go with the rewind and record over option if you'll tag along with me." She said in a slightly kidding tone.
Melantha took a chance and slowly stepped forward before giving a small bow.
"Hi, it's a pretty nice night out huh? I'm Melantha, Zia's daughter. I like nightly runs, my favorite season is winter... I have a bit of an anger problem when it gets to that point and I have a habit of saying things that might scare off most people due to the fact I never really worked on my people skills... The longest conversations I have held had been with animals and they're a lot more straight forward than humans are and their ways of thinking are a bit different too... And I'd offer a handshake if I knew that you wouldn't be worried about if it'd be an attack or not...." She trailed off, using that to test the waters.
Re: Out and about or something"It was a long time ago and I'm hoping you won't hold it against me." It had been a long time since Matt was at a loss for words but he was now. Well how did you reply to something like that? This was cannibalism they were talking about after all……or rather no, it wasn’t, he reminded himself. For after all this woman standing before him wasn’t really human now was she?
Did that then make it all right? Or just slightly less disturbing? It was a tricky moral dilemma he had to admit ,made all the more complicated by the fact that all his instincts up till the moment she had made her unexpected confession had been telling him that he liked her. But then again, she would hardly be the first woman he had liked who was capable of killing. Just the first one who actually ate her victims.!
"I haven't done it in over half a millennia so you don't have to worry about me suddenly changing my mind and trying to take a bite out of you or anyone.” she went on rather contritely, catching him off balance once again by the matter of fact way she had just thrown five hundred years of existence onto the table.*Ok I guess I know now what Hank meant when he said Zia was older than she looked. Matt thought wryly. I had just underestimated by a factor of….. well… quite a lot really when you get right down to it.* It brought home the difference between with a vengeance . And yet when she spoke again all he could actually think of were the things they seemed to have in common. Like a sense of humour for example.
“You're definitely not on the menu-- as far as food goes." Melantha told him, the slight but none the less present hint that perhaps he was on some other kind of short list leaving him mildly surprised and too his own dismay not exactly displeased. But then what man would be when someone like Melantha flirted with him?
*A wise one* Matt told himself firmly. Danger and pheromones were always a heady cocktail, and one he hadn’t always been known to resist. Ok, one that he had seldom resisted. But here it was too easy to get signals crossed. A veiled hint that she might not find him totally unattractive was one thing. The reaction someone as sensitive as himself might have to the change in her scent was quite another.
Though this was far from being the potent sexual communication that went on between Hank and Zia. No, compared to that, this was a coy smile and a raised eyebrow as Melantha had no doubt intended it to be. And Matt could only thank his lucky stars that he had met her mother first in order to be able to have some sort of sensory guideline to measure things by. Because god she did smell good!
But then, as suddenly as it had come, the moment passed, the obvious shyness behind Melantha’s words clearing his head as efficiently as any breeze.Though "Um.... I...." She started awkwardly, then went on to rally somewhat saying Okay... I'm going to try to go with the rewind and record over option if you'll tag along with me." It was a surprisingly modern reference and one that her mother would certainly not have been able to make from what Matt had seen and heard. But then again Melantha wasn’t her mother, no matter how alike they seemed at times. And that was something Matt would have to and indeed wanted to take into account.
She was moving forward now, carefully he could tell, as if not to scare him away, dropping into a quirky bow that made him smile. "Hi, it's a pretty nice night out huh? I'm Melantha, Zia's daughter.” she announced with mock brightness. “I like nightly runs, my favorite season is winter... I have a bit of an anger problem when it gets to that point and I have a habit of saying things that might scare off most people due to the fact I never really worked on my people skills...”
And he had dared to pontificate about honesty! When in the end she was the one who had truly offered it. And had done so right from the start, exposing herself, warts and all as the saying went, to his judgement. No matter how ‘short sighted’ that judgement might have been. Now, listening to her talk about herself laying out these facts like so many beacons trying to light the darkness of his ignorance, he knew his instincts had been right. Human she might not be in the strictest sense of the word. But she was a woman. And a brave one at that, for it took more courage to put yourself out there as she was doing than it did to fight. And she wasn’t finished yet.
Even The longest conversations I have held had been with animals” she admitted ”and they're a lot more straight forward than humans are and their ways of thinking are a bit different too... And” Melantha was slowing down now, some of the hard won bravado leaking from her voice as he said I'd offer a handshake if I knew that you wouldn't be worried about if it'd be an attack or not...."
“Hi Melantha” the blind man replied holding out his own hand ”Pleased to meet you.” And if she could read him as he read her then she would know that he genuinely was. But just in case she couldn’t he offered her a few insights of his own. “I’m Matt Murdock” he told her bowing in turn. ” lawyer by profession. Born and raised in Hell Kitchen. Not exactly the most glamorous district in New York but it is and always will be home. I like the night too, maybe because it brings people one step closer to my world and the rain, because when it bounces off things I can almost see. And that brings me one step closer to theirs”
“Favourite season…. Spring. It smells of rebirth. Anger… definitely there. Mostly against those who slip through the legal system though sometimes directed against god and the world when I feel sorry for myself. And as for talking..” He laughed a little “that comes easy to me now, though it wasn’t always the case. I was a class one geek as a child and that didn’t make conversation exactly easy. Except with my father that was! Now though it’s how a make my living. It’s also how I get people to see past my blindness and that is so very important to me. So don’t despair Melantha, daughter of Zia. Social skills come with practice. And besides.. from where I’m standing, yours aren’t bad at all ”
Re: Out and about or something“Hi Melantha” the blind man replied holding out his own hand ”Pleased to meet you.... I’m Matt Murdock... lawyer by profession. Born and raised in Hell Kitchen. Not exactly the most glamorous district in New York but it is and always will be home. I like the night too, maybe because it brings people one step closer to my world and the rain, because when it bounces off things I can almost see. And that brings me one step closer to theirs." He told her.
“Favourite season…. Spring. It smells of rebirth. Anger… definitely there. Mostly against those who slip through the legal system though sometimes directed against god and the world when I feel sorry for myself. And as for talking... that comes easy to me now, though it wasn’t always the case. I was a class one geek as a child and that didn’t make conversation exactly easy. Except with my father that was! Now though it’s how a make my living. It’s also how I get people to see past my blindness and that is so very important to me. So don’t despair Melantha, daughter of Zia. Social skills come with practice. And besides.. from where I’m standing, yours aren’t bad at all.”
Melantha graspped the hand lightly and felt a smile curl the corners of her lips. His hand was strong and the texture of it told her that he was definately not a man of papmered lifestyle. Even if he had been uninjured she would have been able to tell from the gesture of greeting. When the compliment came about her social skills, Melantha bit on her bottom lip a little and found herself glowing a good deal brighter than she usually did, the blood rushing ot the sirface to make mer markings gleam like small becons.
"Yes, I will get the hang of the whole socializing thing... And you are right, you speak very well." She stated in agreement to his statement.
This Matt Murdock person was an interesting one, and she liked how he felt. Not the skin to skin contact but how he really felt. Not many people held the same feeling in them as this man did. She liked it. It almost sent a tingle up her spine and did more than a little to make him easily capturing her interest. She released hishand a couple of moments after the time that usually would be sufficient for the gesture but this was an intentional delay, her showing that she indeed had an attraction to him and that she chose to place it out in the open although not in a flamboiant way. Maybe it was her shyness getting to her but she was being more subtle than her mind pressed her to be.
"You must not train outside at this time of the night often, not here anyway. Either that or you've just gotten healed up to the point where you actually can come out for some real air and to go more into the excersizing that you are used to." She commented.
Melantha could smell the Med Lab on him, it wasn't hard to do as even a normal human could probably catch the scent that the facility had clinging onto his clothing and hair. It was the same scent that was sometimes found on her mother and constantly coming off of Hank. Matt seemed to pull the smell off though. But then again, his looks more than compensated for it. She took a moment to look him over again placing a hand lightly on her chin as she examined him. If he could see her, she would have done it more descreetly but she was admittedly taking advantage of his blindness. If it had been were he could visially witness her appraisal of him, she would have been much too shy to have gone this far.
His hand was accepted, as was his sincere assurance that the sometimes tortuous realm of social niceties wouldn’t always be such a mystery to her. He could feel that his words had pleased her Melantha radiated happiness, literally. Happiness and something else that he couldn’t help but sense as her fingers lingered in his, warm and vibrant. It was like standing close to a generator, feeling the static electricity build up inside you till you yourself vibrated with the echo of its power. Such a strange sensation though in no way unpleasant! No certainly not that. In fact quite the contrary.
Like the pheromones still pouring from her it affected him more deeply than it would have someone whose senses were less developed. But then for many years that had been both his blessing and his curse. And right at that precise instant in time he wasn’t sure he could say which it was. He only knew that this was a heady wine he was drinking or rather drowning in and that if he didn’t catch his breath soon he might just go under and not come up again.
Fortunately Melantha seemed to be unaware of his predicament, perhaps those same poorly exercised social skills that she had seen as a disadvantage causing her overlook his momentary confusion or perhaps it was that his blind eyes hid it better than any mask. In any case she carried on as if nothing untoward was happening while he desperately clung to her words like so much driftwood and tried to stay afloat.
"Yes, I will get the hang of the whole socializing thing... she told him more confidently And you are right, you speak very well." Right, sure he did. When his voice worked that was. When his tongue wasn’t tied by unknown sensations he couldn’t and didn’t want to analyse. Because whatever they were they felt good. And that was what made them dangerous.
In the end it was Melantha who let go of his hand rather than the other way round. The force he had felt rising between them had been as effective as any magnetic pull and on his part at least just as hard to break. Now though that physical contact had been interrupted his mind cleared again even if his body was still aware of the energy in her still vibrating in the air around them like the purring of some great cat. One that he had to ignore if he was going to pull himself together.
"You must not train outside at this time of the night often, Melantha said casually, carrying the conversation and hopefully Matt with it, back into safer waters. not here anyway. Either that or you've just gotten healed up to the point where you actually can come out for some real air and to go more into the exercising that you are used to."
“Yeah” Oh hey there it was.. that voice he seemed to have misplaced, thankfully back and reporting for duty “This is the first time I’ve been out and about since… well lets justs say since I was reminded forcibly that I wasn’t quite as indestructible as I thought I was. And that having hyper active senses isn’t always a good thing!”
Re: Out and about or something
A smirk of amusement and curiosity came to curl on both corners of her lips as she watched the man closely. She hadn't been able to tell at first but gradually it came to her attention that his bodylanguage was showing her something. Maybe the possibility that the attraction was mutual? Had he been a stag or a lion or even a hawk, she might have been able to decipher his emotions better but he was another creature altogether one that had the ability to make a good deal of sense while at the same time making no sense at all. Human. Even if he were in the mutant category it still branched from humanity which made him potentually the most unpredictable prey of all.
“Yeah- This is the first time I’ve been out and about since… well lets justs say since I was reminded forcibly that I wasn’t quite as indestructible as I thought I was. And that having hyper active senses isn’t always a good thing!”
When he spoke, her ears twitched to attention, her eyes going to his face out of habit. She had near finished her examination of him anyway so it worked well.
"I can only try to imagine that it would come as a hinderance at times. But things have a way of balancing out so maybe after having expierianced so much discomfort- you are about to meet the other side of things and have more pleasant experiances." She told him.
It was only after she spoke out that she realized how that could be taken. Her smirk broadened. She would let his mind play with that concept and let him draw his own conclusions. It might be entertaining. Then again- it might turn out to be a rather exciting predicament whichever way it turned. But then again, what if he was offended. he might have shown possible signs of being interested but she had to remind herself, human laws were different than nature. Although that was really odd as they are from nature. She didn't even try to figure that one out.
Re: Out and about or something
He had hoped that reminding himself of his past misadventures would have put his thoughts back on an even keel but it seemed that Melantha had a way of keeping him off balance. Even if he wasn’t been sure it had always been intentional. This time though.. this time it wasn’t scent or touch that he was getting signals from. There was no wild energy on which to blame his interpretation though it still crackled around her like subdued lightening or any subtle but unmistakable traces of otherness in her perfume to confuse his senses and lead him astray. Oh those things were still disturbingly there all right and just as hard to decipher as they ever had been. But words. Now as he had already told Melantha words were something Matt understood all to well. And you didn’t need heightened senses to read the message behind the ones Melantha offered him now.
Flirting was something the blind man had a good deal of experience with. His easy charm and good looks had seen to that. And no matter what her origins, this certainly felt like flirting to him. To say that it complicated matters would have been an understatement. With his body already fighting not to respond to the weird almost sexual energy that flowed around her this discrete offer of ‘pleasant experiences’ was hard to resist. And it had to be said that resisting beautiful woman wasn’t what Matt did best. In fact there had been many to whom he had felt less attracted and yet who he had taken back to his bed or gone willingly to theirs. There had only been one woman that he had ever truly loved and she was gone. And as for the others…
Brief affairs and one night stands hadn’t bothered him in the least. He was capable of seizing the moment so to speak as well as the best of them. In fact most of the time he preferred it that way, or so he told himself. Casual. No commitment on either side either wanted or expected. After all any woman who got close, really close would inevitably be drawn into the dangerous waters that surrounded Daredevil and that, as Electra had already proved to him was not something to be desired. Not if he wanted to keep them safe. But now….
Ever since the attack things had changed. Whether it was the brush with death that had done it or the very real prospect that Daredevil could be a thing of the past he didn’t know. Or perhaps it was in the end something less dramatic but just as profound that had altered his feelings. The atmosphere at Xavier’s Institute. Although he had hardly been here any time at all still it had made an impression on him. Here there were people like him. People with powers they had to deal with and which could put those around them in danger. Hank. Logan. Rain above all. A girl seemingly condemned by her ability to walk her road alone and yet whom he was determined to help have a full life. One in which friends and love wouldn’t be something only other people had but hers too for the taking. And if he wanted that so desperately for her wasn’t it in part because he also wanted it for himself no matter how selfish that desire might be?
If he took Melantha up on her offer it was clear this would be no one night stand. This would be passion and folie and the wild loss of self he had seen between Hank and Zia. And that could be something he wanted. After all taking risks was his business. And in matters of love this would be perhaps the greatest risk of all. It was a step he might well have taken if he hadn’t already taken one elsewhere. Small and tentative though it might be. He had asked Sue out. Not for some great romantic evening. Just for dinner and maybe a walk later if all went well. Certainly a walk if Levi had his say in the matter. Strange. One deaf woman and her dog . Almost strangers and yet…. there was something there, some potential that Matt wanted to explore. That he couldn’t turn his back on even for this unexpected and unsought opportunity that the fates had somehow presented him with. No matter how tempting it might be. And that was something that had to be made clear here and now.
So he smiled, treating her words as lightly as he could even as his body still protested his decision. “Oh I’m sure your right” he told her easily “In fact I already have plans for some pleasant experiences lined up later this week. And someone more than pleasant to share them with. Which always helps don’t you think?”
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