[ People do not like things that are not normal. She's learned that. It scares them when things are different. When people are not like them. ]
They will keep looking for me.
[ But Laura things, just maybe, that she might be safe with him. She watches him scoot closer, but nothing in his body language or scent changes to indicate that he's a threat. She takes another bite of her sandwich, and swallows it down with more too-sugary drink. ]
[Not as a child, no. And not in the means to protect someone who needs guidance. A young girl treated as a weapon. Matt believes that a benevolent deity sets events into motion on purpose. What would Elektra have been like if someone could have saved her sooner?]
[ They only began to try and kill the children, hurt them, after they made the new weapon. The one that was better than them. That was when they started killing the others. ]
[Whatever upgrade they have is valuable enough for them to flat out seek to destroy the previous attempts. That makes Matt's blood run cold and he almost squishes his sandwich in anger. No person, no child should endure that.]
I would do everything I can. You don't have to live on the streets, some place clean and safe.
[But where, Murdock? All he has right now in his head is his own apartment. Can he really take care of a young person?]
[ Her attention is taken by the way his emotions seem to overcome him suddenly. She still does not understand the nuance of why certain things upset so many. She knows that the life she knows is not typical. Not normal of children.
She knows the feeling he has, though. Anger. She knows that one well. ]
[For now he feels a swell of elation that snuffs out the worry. Matt will leave this encounter with a sense of accomplishment. Reality will set in. There needs to be more money to support not one but two lives. More money. Entertainment. He would have to look long and hard at his finances, yes.
If it means that he could keep this girl, Laura safe? It would be all worth it. One more young life safe. No other young person living with the burden in their head and heart of being someone's weapon. A Black Skye saved.]
Please meet me here before sunset. I have to finish my work day, after I will take you t my home.
[It's the best he can think of of the top of his head right now.]
[ That she agrees to want to stay with him makes the scent of anger fade, and become friendlier. His heartbeat seems to slow a little in response, and it makes her feel better that he is not so upset anymore. She takes another sip of her drink and nods, scooting a bit so she can slide off the bench and stand. ]
I will be here.
[ She starts to put her things in the little backpack that she got from the man at the bodega. Once it's packed, she starts away from Matt, and heads back towards the more crowded streets. There are a few groups of children that make it easier for her to hide in plain sight. Once it grows darker and she is certain that no one else is following her, she makes her way back to the park bench, and climbs up to sit quietly. ]
[She moves and he tilts his head, paying attention. It's her life, as young as she may be, the experience she's gone through have made her the mistress of her fate. He holds his breath and lets it out at the words. Matt smiles.
Okay, Murdock. Your work is cut out for you. He can only get a vague sense of her trail with her breathing. The smell, unwashed and riddled with sugar and processed food sticks out. She's picked her hiding space well.
The day goes on and Matt leaves the office early, claiming he has an errand. It's not a lie. He is at the bodega again getting a less dubious sandwich with other snacks. For himself and for Laura. He grabs a bag of Doritos as an impulse buy. A hefty sum later he walks to the bench, large plastic bag in one hand, cane in the other.]
[ It's a good spot, this bench. She can hear the park around her, the more distant sounds towards the street. It's easy to pick up on when people enter the park and approach from the bench. She wonders if that's why Matthew liked it.
By the time he gets there, she's finished her snacks, and is sitting with her hood up over her head. There are a few odd looks from people, but nothing suspicious. They just wonder, she imagines, because she is alone. When Matt approaches, they do not wonder anymore.
Laura stands up when he arrives, and adjusts her backpack to sit more comfortably on her shoulders. ]
[A very clear means of taking in the scenery all around does make it a wonderful spot. When you don't have eyes you have to sight see in different ways. The trees are very nice here as well, large and rustling. They cut the heat of the midday sun. In these later hours when the shadows are long, it is cooler. Far more quiet. Most New Yorker's would prefer to head home if they can help it. A stray jogger or a dog walker is close by.
Matt's pace remainds the same. He is relieved that she's there. And even more that it does not seem as though they are being watched or followed.]
Yes, we can go now.
[He even smiles at her.]
Because I cannot see and you can, may I please touch your arm as we walk?
[ Laura isn't one to simply stop and sight see in any way. She does get curious sometimes, though, about different things. Curious about people. About the small groups, families. She's heard the word, but she doesn't know what it means.
She can tell that he's checking the area in his own way. Listening. Scenting the air. If there had been people watching or following, she would not be there. It would be too dangerous for both of them. This man is nice. She does not want what happened to Gabriella to happen to him.
Laura walks up to him, tilting her head when he asks that, and mutters a quick yes before offering up her arm. ]
[Danger or not, he would have come. Matt said he would. And he knows the weight of promises. If he wanted her trust he shouldn't break it in the first damn day.
Matt gently touches her arm and taps his cane. Just the right tableau. And away they go. Through the part. As she moves there is a hardly audible noise he can't place and a heaviness to her limbs that he never would have expected. What...is that? Is that metal?]
You've eaten enough for the night?
[He could get some groceries delivered if needed be. It's very clear the appetites are not the same.
[ Laura would not have wanted him to. She would have run far away. Far enough that they would not find the nice man with the stick and the dark glasses.
She likes this, the way they walk through the park together. It is nice. Like the little families, she thinks. If he were to ask about the sound, she'd tell him that it is metal. It's what they did to her at the place with the people who hurt her. ]
I finished my food from earlier.
[ It is enough. She is usually hungry. It's just the way her body is. She ends up more hungry if she heals more from injuries. She has not done that today, but she still feels more hungry than she thinks most other people do. ]
[He has to think up what would the best actions be if there was a scenario that this little partnership became threatened. It's on the growing list of things to do as he makes room for Laura in his life.
They find a stride and walk along with ease. Matt isn't trying to smile. He just does.]
Good. I have food in my home. I'm not sure you would like it. It will get better.
[Given her previous choices.
She isn't a girl of many words. He guesses that means she is observing. Possibly lost in thought.]
Is there anything I should know about? Is there anything that scares you besides those men?
[Sounds. Smells. Maybe scare isn't the right word. Matt licks his lips.]
I want to know if anything new makes you uncomfortable so I can help you adapt.
[ Laura looks up at him briefly, and the smile he has on his face makes her feel a little more at ease as they go along. She wonders, again, why he is helping her. Is it just because this is what people do when they are not bad? ]
I will eat anything.
[ It doesn't bother her. This is the first time she's been able to choose her meals, but it won't be a struggle if she has to stop. ]
I do not like to be startled.
[ It's partly why she is so cautious, and why she reacted so poorly the first night she met Matt. ]
What is---uncomfortable?
[ These aren't things that were taken into consideration with her or her friends before. She doesn't understand why it is pertinent now. ]
[In time Matt will find that there is so much to explain. For now he is catching glimpses of her personality in how she answers. Practical, very practical.]
Yes, well, you should enjoy what you it now and then.
[No surprises. He nods.]
I don't enjoy being startled either.
[It happens. Keen awareness does make one miss details. This is not a question he expected to answer. His brow furrows a little with thought.]
Uncomfortable is... this unsettled feeling. Sometimes it can be intense and unbearable like pain. Or small like an irritation.
[ Dr. Rice had very little room for personality in his tests. They were tools to be used. Test subjects. Weapons. Nothing more. She has found things that she is curious about in the world, but she has not attempted to do much with them. Children her size with toys of varying kinds, like her ball, and pages that they can put different colors on. ]
That is what the man in the shop said. He always tells me to pick something sweet.
[ Surprises, in her case, can be very dangerous. People have found this out in different ways, mostly the Reavers, when they pushed her in ways that she did not like.
She lets Matt explain what he means to her, and her brow furrows a little in thought. They expected them to do as they were told. To suffer without complaint. ]
They did not care about this in the place that I come from, but I will try.
[No ominous message or resentment, not even a warning. Matt's voice stays warm and matter of fact. He suspects that there will be many moments where he will have to shelf his anger and resentment for the people Laura met before. She is not a puzzle or a problem to be solved or fixed. She is a child.
The clergy at St. Agnes would often say that Matthew was a test to them all. Perhaps he was preparing himself to be on the otherside. He gently guides them down a street once they clear the park.]
Thank you. Though think about it as helping me understand you best. How you feel, how you think, that's important to me.
[Never did they tell the children at the orphanage that they were abandoned or damaged anymore than what they were aware of. It was about building them back up. Matthew, you've got work to do. ]
[ Laura likes how his voice sounds, the warmth to it. It makes her think of Gabriella and the other nurses. Some of the songs she would hear sung late when the doctors and the Reavers were not there to yell at them for it. ]
Well, now is a good time to figure out which ones you do like.
[Not just bodega offered foods. Maybe he can get her to enjoy strawberries and whipped cream or a frozen yogurt. Cupcakes from a local bakery. There's so much more than packaged foods.
Matt senses them approaching a crosswalk and slows. The light is red, he elbows the button to cross.]
It's important because those reactions are a part of you. You are important. Now, maybe they might have told you that you were for reasons that benefit them. Those reasons are wrong. You're important because there is only one of you. No one else in the world thinks like you do, feels like you do or acts like you do. You are your own person.
[Is he getting too deep too fast on her? These are all good questions. She needs to be reassured and Matt can tell it won't be like reassuring a typical child. Laura isn't worried about boogeymen or monsters.]
[ She's always hungry. She'd try anything he gave her, honestly. She watches him press the button. She knows what that means at least. ]
They did not think that we were important anymore. That is why we had to run.
[ She ponders what he's saying for a few quiet moments, and sighs. She's not really sure what to do with all of this new information. ] I want to be that. My own person.
[The first week has it's highs and lows. Boundaries are absolutely a work in progress. Matt has to remind himself to be completely up front with intentions. The alarm means that he has to wake up which means that he has to leave and unfortunately Laura will be by herself.
And because she is by herself he has devoted off time to finding objects and activities that can stimulate her as well as teach her practical things. The modern remedy is put her in front of a screen. Well. Matt does not have a television. The laptop he does have is specially equip for him and for work. Something about that level of neglect to not even consider what media she is consuming...that feels wrong.
The month ends out with minimal damage and just one explosive fight. Their disagreements are usually a result of misunderstanding. Matt's mastery of the Spanish language is constantly put to the test as well as his patience. Though he knew that this was not going to be an easy task. Walking away from her, that would be wrong on so many levels.]
Hello?
[Stepping into the apartment, making sure to announce himself.]
[ Boundaries are things she is learning about. She doesn't like them, but apparently everyone out here in the world does. They all have them. And rules. The rules are very different from where she comes from. Some are less strict, and others, more.
It's frustrating because there is a lot she doesn't know, and living here with Matthew comes with many more things to learn.
She has yet to explain about how she is different yet, at least not more than he has already guessed. She's not sure how to. Will it frighten him? She doesn't want him to be afraid of her. Laura had gone outside earlier with one of the books she had picked out from a store. Her English is not very good, but she is trying to learn. This book has both things. ]
I am here.
[ Said from the couch where she is sitting. Not far from her are small attempts to make a card with an apology on it. She may have borrowed the label maker to help her with the braille, and used a pencil to try and indent the paper for him.
Early on, when she was first here, he had startled her badly and then apologized. She didn't understand why it was important. She still doesn't, not fully, but if it is important to do, then she will try. Maybe it will help the funny feeling in her stomach at making him upset. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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They will keep looking for me.
[ But Laura things, just maybe, that she might be safe with him. She watches him scoot closer, but nothing in his body language or scent changes to indicate that he's a threat. She takes another bite of her sandwich, and swallows it down with more too-sugary drink. ]
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[Not as a child, no. And not in the means to protect someone who needs guidance. A young girl treated as a weapon. Matt believes that a benevolent deity sets events into motion on purpose. What would Elektra have been like if someone could have saved her sooner?]
I want to help you. I'm very good at hiding.
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[ They only began to try and kill the children, hurt them, after they made the new weapon. The one that was better than them. That was when they started killing the others. ]
You can help me hide?
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I would do everything I can. You don't have to live on the streets, some place clean and safe.
[But where, Murdock? All he has right now in his head is his own apartment. Can he really take care of a young person?]
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She knows the feeling he has, though. Anger. She knows that one well. ]
I would like to stay with you.
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If it means that he could keep this girl, Laura safe? It would be all worth it. One more young life safe. No other young person living with the burden in their head and heart of being someone's weapon. A Black Skye saved.]
Please meet me here before sunset. I have to finish my work day, after I will take you t my home.
[It's the best he can think of of the top of his head right now.]
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I will be here.
[ She starts to put her things in the little backpack that she got from the man at the bodega. Once it's packed, she starts away from Matt, and heads back towards the more crowded streets. There are a few groups of children that make it easier for her to hide in plain sight. Once it grows darker and she is certain that no one else is following her, she makes her way back to the park bench, and climbs up to sit quietly. ]
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Okay, Murdock. Your work is cut out for you. He can only get a vague sense of her trail with her breathing. The smell, unwashed and riddled with sugar and processed food sticks out. She's picked her hiding space well.
The day goes on and Matt leaves the office early, claiming he has an errand. It's not a lie. He is at the bodega again getting a less dubious sandwich with other snacks. For himself and for Laura. He grabs a bag of Doritos as an impulse buy. A hefty sum later he walks to the bench, large plastic bag in one hand, cane in the other.]
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By the time he gets there, she's finished her snacks, and is sitting with her hood up over her head. There are a few odd looks from people, but nothing suspicious. They just wonder, she imagines, because she is alone. When Matt approaches, they do not wonder anymore.
Laura stands up when he arrives, and adjusts her backpack to sit more comfortably on her shoulders. ]
We go now?
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Matt's pace remainds the same. He is relieved that she's there. And even more that it does not seem as though they are being watched or followed.]
Yes, we can go now.
[He even smiles at her.]
Because I cannot see and you can, may I please touch your arm as we walk?
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She can tell that he's checking the area in his own way. Listening. Scenting the air. If there had been people watching or following, she would not be there. It would be too dangerous for both of them. This man is nice. She does not want what happened to Gabriella to happen to him.
Laura walks up to him, tilting her head when he asks that, and mutters a quick yes before offering up her arm. ]
It is on your right, just below your arm now.
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Matt gently touches her arm and taps his cane. Just the right tableau. And away they go. Through the part. As she moves there is a hardly audible noise he can't place and a heaviness to her limbs that he never would have expected. What...is that? Is that metal?]
You've eaten enough for the night?
[He could get some groceries delivered if needed be. It's very clear the appetites are not the same.
no subject
She likes this, the way they walk through the park together. It is nice. Like the little families, she thinks. If he were to ask about the sound, she'd tell him that it is metal. It's what they did to her at the place with the people who hurt her. ]
I finished my food from earlier.
[ It is enough. She is usually hungry. It's just the way her body is. She ends up more hungry if she heals more from injuries. She has not done that today, but she still feels more hungry than she thinks most other people do. ]
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They find a stride and walk along with ease. Matt isn't trying to smile. He just does.]
Good. I have food in my home. I'm not sure you would like it. It will get better.
[Given her previous choices.
She isn't a girl of many words. He guesses that means she is observing. Possibly lost in thought.]
Is there anything I should know about? Is there anything that scares you besides those men?
[Sounds. Smells. Maybe scare isn't the right word. Matt licks his lips.]
I want to know if anything new makes you uncomfortable so I can help you adapt.
no subject
I will eat anything.
[ It doesn't bother her. This is the first time she's been able to choose her meals, but it won't be a struggle if she has to stop. ]
I do not like to be startled.
[ It's partly why she is so cautious, and why she reacted so poorly the first night she met Matt. ]
What is---uncomfortable?
[ These aren't things that were taken into consideration with her or her friends before. She doesn't understand why it is pertinent now. ]
no subject
Yes, well, you should enjoy what you it now and then.
[No surprises. He nods.]
I don't enjoy being startled either.
[It happens. Keen awareness does make one miss details. This is not a question he expected to answer. His brow furrows a little with thought.]
Uncomfortable is... this unsettled feeling. Sometimes it can be intense and unbearable like pain. Or small like an irritation.
no subject
That is what the man in the shop said. He always tells me to pick something sweet.
[ Surprises, in her case, can be very dangerous. People have found this out in different ways, mostly the Reavers, when they pushed her in ways that she did not like.
She lets Matt explain what he means to her, and her brow furrows a little in thought. They expected them to do as they were told. To suffer without complaint. ]
They did not care about this in the place that I come from, but I will try.
no subject
[No ominous message or resentment, not even a warning. Matt's voice stays warm and matter of fact. He suspects that there will be many moments where he will have to shelf his anger and resentment for the people Laura met before. She is not a puzzle or a problem to be solved or fixed. She is a child.
The clergy at St. Agnes would often say that Matthew was a test to them all. Perhaps he was preparing himself to be on the otherside. He gently guides them down a street once they clear the park.]
Thank you. Though think about it as helping me understand you best. How you feel, how you think, that's important to me.
[Never did they tell the children at the orphanage that they were abandoned or damaged anymore than what they were aware of. It was about building them back up. Matthew, you've got work to do. ]
no subject
[ Laura likes how his voice sounds, the warmth to it. It makes her think of Gabriella and the other nurses. Some of the songs she would hear sung late when the doctors and the Reavers were not there to yell at them for it. ]
Why is it important? Is it a test?
[ There's a lot she doesn't understand. ]
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[Not just bodega offered foods. Maybe he can get her to enjoy strawberries and whipped cream or a frozen yogurt. Cupcakes from a local bakery. There's so much more than packaged foods.
Matt senses them approaching a crosswalk and slows. The light is red, he elbows the button to cross.]
It's important because those reactions are a part of you. You are important. Now, maybe they might have told you that you were for reasons that benefit them. Those reasons are wrong. You're important because there is only one of you. No one else in the world thinks like you do, feels like you do or acts like you do. You are your own person.
[Is he getting too deep too fast on her? These are all good questions. She needs to be reassured and Matt can tell it won't be like reassuring a typical child. Laura isn't worried about boogeymen or monsters.]
no subject
[ She's always hungry. She'd try anything he gave her, honestly. She watches him press the button. She knows what that means at least. ]
They did not think that we were important anymore. That is why we had to run.
[ She ponders what he's saying for a few quiet moments, and sighs. She's not really sure what to do with all of this new information. ] I want to be that. My own person.
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A lot more.
[They'll try the best ones together. Not just gummie candies. Gelato. Puddings. Mochi. Waiting for the light to change he rests his cane.]
I think that you can. One day at time right? That's what you have. Do the best with one day.
[Dial it back a bit, Matty. You're starting to sound like an after school special. He pats on her arm.]
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I would like to try them!
[ Laura watches the people as they pass by in their cars, and listens to Matt. ]
I will try.
[ The light changes to walk, and once he has his cane in hand again, Laura starts to walk, careful to watch out for the cars still. ]
no subject
And because she is by herself he has devoted off time to finding objects and activities that can stimulate her as well as teach her practical things. The modern remedy is put her in front of a screen. Well. Matt does not have a television. The laptop he does have is specially equip for him and for work. Something about that level of neglect to not even consider what media she is consuming...that feels wrong.
The month ends out with minimal damage and just one explosive fight. Their disagreements are usually a result of misunderstanding. Matt's mastery of the Spanish language is constantly put to the test as well as his patience. Though he knew that this was not going to be an easy task. Walking away from her, that would be wrong on so many levels.]
Hello?
[Stepping into the apartment, making sure to announce himself.]
no subject
It's frustrating because there is a lot she doesn't know, and living here with Matthew comes with many more things to learn.
She has yet to explain about how she is different yet, at least not more than he has already guessed. She's not sure how to. Will it frighten him? She doesn't want him to be afraid of her. Laura had gone outside earlier with one of the books she had picked out from a store. Her English is not very good, but she is trying to learn. This book has both things. ]
I am here.
[ Said from the couch where she is sitting. Not far from her are small attempts to make a card with an apology on it. She may have borrowed the label maker to help her with the braille, and used a pencil to try and indent the paper for him.
Early on, when she was first here, he had startled her badly and then apologized. She didn't understand why it was important. She still doesn't, not fully, but if it is important to do, then she will try. Maybe it will help the funny feeling in her stomach at making him upset. ]
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