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Stonewall is as good a place as any to start to figure out your problems, finding them somewhere between the first sip and at the bottom of the bottle. This is Matt Murdock's life at the moment. Each time things looked as though they were going to work out for him, fate had a way of pulling it back. It's always about a girl, so don't even ask. Except when it's not. But this time it is. He's sitting at the end of the bar, quietly, sipping at beer and taking the night off from beating punks indiscriminately.
A slender man opens the door an dlooks around in that way people do when they come to a new place. Scanning the room, he heads to the bar. The socially acceptable place for wall flowers to remain wall flowers. He looks a little warm and as he usually is, rumpled. He's carrying a backpack over his shoulder. He puts it carefully on the floor next to the stool he has chosen. It's two stools down from Matt. He adjusts his glasses and attempts to see what's on draft in the bar. "I'll have whatever that is there you have on tap," he tells the bartender. "And do you have something like a grilled cheese sandwich?" He looks down at Matt. He would nod, but presumable Matt is wearing his sunglasses. Bruce gives a quiet. "Evening." If anyone can sense gamma radiation, Bruce is always leaking off slight amounts.
Saturday night means that Mike is behind the bar, serving up alcohol and his not so sage advice to those denizens of Earth who come to an alien to talk about their problems. Not that they know he's anything other than just a bit eccentric. But he's cheerful and friendly, so there is that. The bar is small, the sort designed to accommodate a restaurant and not be a real bar. Which means everyone is relatively snugly settled together if they sit there. There aren't that many there, however, mostly just Bruce and Matt. He nods to Bruce with a friendly, "Evening.. and we do, in fact. Grilled cheese with bacon and tomato. You want all that or just the cheese?" He pours a beer off the tab and sets it down in front of Bruce before checking on Matt's drink. "So, I tried out that pizza place you recommended last time. They really do have amazing pizza."
"Hey," Matt says to Bruce with a nod as he turns his attention towards the thing scientist. As he does, Murdock "views" something he has never seen before. Bruce looks like a normal guy, but a green glow emanates off of him. Matt automatically assumes he's a mutant and he thinks of Father John and how he would say that it is our Christ driven duty to make people who might otherwise feel left out as part of our group. "The grilled cheese is not bad," Matt says with a nod. "Also a fan of their club sandwich." Matt turns back towards Mike, "Did you? It's a good place. You'll have to let me know if you find any good spots, especially closer to Hell's Kitchen."
Bruce nods, "Yeah, thanks. That sounds pretty good. Pizza sounds good too. Anything sounds good." He takes his beer and brings it to him. It's hard for him to get drunk anymore. It burns out of him pretty quickly. He smiles and nods to Matt. Habit. He's not aware that Matt can see anything. If he was, he might make an excuse and leave. "Do you live around here?" He asks this of Matt, but also turns his gaze on Mike. "I've been apartment hunting…"
"I haven't spenta lot of time around Hell's Kitchen," Mike admits to Matt with a shake of his head, "But if I do find someplace in the area, I will definitely let you know." He then looks over toward Bruce and laughs, "Well you can order whatever you like but you have to tell me which one, or both.. " He waits for Bruce to let him know what he wants and then he says, "I've got a little place. It suits me. But I've only been in town for a little over a month, so I don't know a lot of places yet."
"Not too far," Matt admits to Bruce with a nod. "Hell's Kitchen, born and raised. The places aren't that great. Crime is an issue. But the rent is cheap." Plus, there are a lot of people who need his help both in the costume and in his business suit. And it's home. He doesn't get into all of that, though.
Bruce grins, "No, I just meant I'm really hungry. The grilled bacon and cheese with tomato sounds great." His breath goes in slowly and out slowly in very measured breaths. He's studied mediation or some sort of controlled breathing techniques. Bruce listens to Matt, nodding again and pushing up his glasses. "I need some place cheap, but quiet. I really need some place quiet. I'll find something eventually." He takes a long drink of his beer. "I've heard about the crime. I'm not really afraid of the crime. I don't have anything to steal." He gestures down to his backpack which contains a couple of books, a notebook, and some extra underwear.
Mike Matthews gives a nod to Bruce and a thumbs-up and then he hads off into the kitchen for a moment to drop off the slip of paper with his order before coming back out again. There's a moment or two where he fills up the glasses for drinks for one of the servers to take out to the tables before he returns to the pair. "I don't know of anywhere really quiet in New York City, at least not that I've found yet," he admits.
Matt chuckles, "I was going to say the same thing. If you're looking for quiet but want to stay close to the city you could maybe look at Staten Island or maybe Long Island. It buys you a commute into Manhattan, which is the downside." Murdock finishes his beer and nods to Mike to order another. He's putting them down tonight.
Bruce says, "I was afraid you were going to say that," says Bruce with a soft smile as he watches Matt pound the drinks. "I might check out queens, but I'd prefer Manhattan. Maybe I will just have to get a pair of earplugs." He tilts his head a little, "So you were born here? What do you do?" And to Mike he asks, "And you, where are you from? You said you're new here. New to the city?"
Mike Matthews notices Matt's beer getting low and he gives him a nod, swinging by to grab the empty and replace it with a refill, setting it down and then taking up a lean against the counter behind him, attention on the pair at the bar, though he does dip over to make sure that the servers have what they need as well. When Bruce asks where he is from, Mike says, "Upstate," reflexively, and then "But yes, new to the city."
"Earplugs aren't a bad idea," Matt responds. Hell, that's sort of a metaphor. "Now that you mention it I should probably invest in some of those as well." He takes a sip of his new beer before answering the question. Sometimes his answer makes people a little skittish. "I'm an attorney. How about you?"
Bruce nods to Mike and has no reaosn to doubt his claims. He doesn't seem skittish about attorneys, though he does seem slightly surprised. "That's interesting. What kind of law can you practice around here?" When Matt asks about his own background, he looks closely at Matt and considers lying. No one would know. He hesitates. He's become ood at lying, but lying is so much easier if you just don't. "I'm new to town. I just got a job in a lab. I have a science background. Hopefully, I won't need your services. " But you never know. "DO you have a card?"
Mike Matthews doesn't particularly need to tell anyone what he does as he pours another drink and sets it over on a tray ready to go out to those dining at the restaurant. "Oh? A Lab? Where? What kind of science do you do?" Mike seems intrigued, curious as to what sort of lab work Bruce might be into.
"Science? That sounds pretty cool," Matt replies as he reaches into his suit coat. "Yeah, I've got a card. I do defense work most of the time. My partner and I are a small firm, so if you recommend someone to us you're going to get our full attention." He slides it over to Bruce. "Matt Murdock."
Bruce picks up the card and looks while answering the question Mike posed. "I just got a job at Stark Industries, so I don't know what I will be doing, exactly. But, my PhD is in physics." Okay, so that's a fib. He winces slightly. Like Matt wonders how people will take him being an attorney, Bruce often worries what people will think when they learn he's super smart. Sliding the card into his shirt pocket, he asks Matt. "Are you good? Did you just lose a case, and that explains the beet. Sure, he's being nosey, but it will distract them both from himself.
"Ah," Mike says when Bruce mentions Stark Industries, obviously familiar with it. "They make things, but also innovate. I hear that Mr. Stark is an inventor." He's been learning a few things since he's arrived in New York City. But then when Bruce asks about Matt's case he glances over toward the attorney who comes into the bar from time to time. He usually doesn't ask, just lets Matt talk or not talk depending on what he feels like.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Matt says in regards to his efficacy as an attorney. He notes that Bruce seems to be partially lying due to the changes in his blood pressure. It's one of Matt's powers and something that helps him at work as much as it helps him at not. "I'm afraid not," he says about a lost case. "Lost love," he adds.
Bruce purses his lips, "Oh…sorry. That was rude of me to ask. " His brows crowd together in a show of empathy. "Been there, counselor. " He bites his lip and then turns to Mike. "Stark has his fingers in a lit of pies. Smart man." But not as smart as me. He smiles to himself ruefully. It'll be fine, though. "Say, can I just get that sandwich to go?" Bruce drains his glass. He's getting nervous. It's so nice to talk to people like a normal human being, he's probably spilled too much. Nice place, he thinks. He will likely come back.
"Sure," Mike says to Bruce and moves over to the kitchen to get the sandwich boxed up for him. He comes out with the man's check and a small bag with the sandwich securely wrapped up inside. This, he passes over and then he looks over to Matt and says, "Sorry to hear it, man." He preps another beer for Matt in that case, "Here, this one's on me."
"Don't worry about it," Matt says with a shake and a light sigh. "She's a great gal, but she headed back to Asia and it's not really the type of thing where either of us are going to wait for the other." He doesn't bring up how Bruce's new boss and the girl he's with also fits into Matthew's life. It's a nasty web and he's probably lucky to be free of it all. "Rain check," Matt says to Mike. "I'm actually going to need to go here pretty quick."
Bruce nods his thanks and pays the bartender. He includes a tip. It's not a huge tip. The best he can do rightt now. He picks up his backpack, carefully stuffs the sandwich away leans towards Matt. "Well, I hope you feel better soon. Things pass…hurts heal." He gives a genuine smile. "Maybe I'll see you again. " He takes off.
"That's tough," Mike says to Matt. He nods though about the rain check and he brings over Matt's tab for him to settle up before giving a wave to Bruce as the man heads out. "Good luck with your new gig," he calls after the man as he departs. Then he turns back toward Matt and says, "Next time.." The added beer that he poured isn't on the tab. He collects the check and tip that Bruce left. "Take care of yourself, Matt. You come back in soon, huh?"
"Course," Matt says as he gets to his feet and leaves a generous tip. He may have lost Danny Rand, but that money she paid him to be her lawyer during her trial still spends rather well. "Good to see you, Mikey."