Who: Matt Murdock daredevil & Rapunzel gleamnglow What: Accidents with strangers When: Monday, November 30 Where: Laguna College of Art and Design; Commons Area Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Blind lawyer is in a hurry and not necessarily the nicest guy ever? I doubt anything in here will offend anyone. Status: Partner Thread/Completed
~*~
Clients who were in the arts were not Matt Murdock's specialty. He tended to prefer taking cases where it was a straight business exchange. There were only a few exceptions to his preferences; one of them happened to be an adjunct professor at Laguna College of Art and Design who was involved in a major negotiation for international copyrights with Blizzard. Matt was trying to ensure his client got what he was entitled to as a creator and designer while also making certain they were putting a deal on the table likely to be accepted by the corporation.
He wouldn't be a very good lawyer if he cost his customer a job with their biggest supporter to date.
Matt was in a hurry since he was running behind. Traffic had been Hell. It wasn't easy to get an Uber driver close to the holidays and he couldn't very well drive himself. He would have taken public transportation, but the buses were even slower than a car service. By the time Matt made it to Laguna College, he was already racing across the campus too fast to bother with anything other than his instincts to make his way to the meeting room he'd been to all too many times recently.
This case was costing him more than it would possibly make him. Luckily? Matt liked the guy.
Very luckily, Matt corrected in his head as he stumbled into a soft, female body with a grunt as he tried to use brute force to halt his momentum. His balance was better than most. It was easier for him to regain his composure than it might have been for another man. Matt snapped his cane out to thrust it into the soft grass of the commons area all the same. It kept him from falling backwards onto his ass, getting stains on his suit. He couldn't quite bring himself to go back to the dry-cleaner just yet again after his last trip where the pity in their voices had almost drowned him.
"I'm sorry. I'd say I didn't see you there, but I hate icebreakers focused on the most obvious thing about me."
He pushed a hand through his hair, ruffling it out of order before smoothing it back into place with a sigh.
"Are you alright? I'm normally more careful."
~*~
It had been an interesting morning thus far for Rapunzel. She had managed to sleep through her alarm and get up with just enough time to throw on some clothes, brush her teeth and hair, and dash out the door. Thankfully it was for a lecture class, so it honestly didn’t matter where you sat, but she knew that this day was just going to be a complete wash from the way it started out. After class she headed back to her dorm to grab her paints and her sketchpad to attend her next lesson.
Unfortunately she didn’t anticipate that someone else would be crossing into her path quite like this. She felt the body before she actually realized what was happening and her bag went flying. She could see her paints and pencils scatter around the ground and she made a noise of disappointment before turning her attention to whomever had run into her. Luckily her balance was fair and she had fallen forward at the knees and caught herself on her palms. The man had greater balance than her and also a cane. Well, that was certainly handy.
The comment about seeing caught Rapunzel off-guard and she realized what kind of cane was in his hand. Her cheeks colored slightly in embarrassment before she let out a soft laugh. “At least you seem to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. But I’m fine, don’t fret. I just need to gather up my art supplies from the ground.”
~*~
Falling into a crouch, Matt swept the ground in front of him with his hands, his cane dangling from its lead loop around his wrist as he gathered up what supplies he could feel. She had dropped a good amount. There was a scent in the air of possibly charcoal and lead with a hint of tincture which reminded him of paint. Student. Matt knew it would be his luck to hit some young woman who was likely trying her best to just get to class. He hadn't felt as though they'd collided too hard so she was likely unharmed. She hadn't mentioned being injured at least which was a good thing.
"It was either laugh or cry. I got tired of crying when it happened. Besides, haven't you heard laughter is the best medicine?"
He offered her a handful of pencils and what felt to be thin brushes, his eyes moving up sightless to fix somewhere in the vicinity of where he thought her face should be.
"I can't really say I'm sorry enough for this, but I'm trying to help. Nothing feels broken though I can smell paint and likely a full set of pencils. How bad is the damage? I want to make sure to reimburse you for anything you'll have to replace."
~*~
“And I completely understand not wanting to cry anymore. It’s exhausting and honestly, not productive. Laughter makes you feel a little better and in control.” It was an admirable way of dealing with it and eventually gallows humor always kicked in.
When the hand reached out to her with the pencils she reached forward to brush her hand against his as she picked the pencils up. When he looked towards her to speak she resisted the urge to adjust his face just a half inch, but she didn’t want to be weird touching a man she just ran into. The pencils were deposited back into her bag and she smiled even though he couldn’t see it.
“It’s totally okay. It’s happened a handful of times over the semester. My pencils seem to be good and thankfully my paint pots are doing their job and holding everything together. And I would never make anyone reimburse me. I am basically swimming in art supplies back at my apartment.”
~*~
Soft hands for an artist, Matt thought as she took the supplies he offered her. She spent a lot of time either taking care of herself or being careful with her craft. He wasn't sure which since he hadn't managed a long enough conversation with her to judge. People were easier for Matt to read than they seemed to be for the sighted. He listened more he supposed. A person's face could lie while their voice? The treble of it? The pitch? The pace? That said more than any smile ever could.
He could hear when someone was smiling however which was why he smiled back in reflex.
"I'm Matt Murdock. It's good to meet someone who doesn't want to take my money for a change. Most people? They think it's fair game considering my profession."
California attracted all types who wore suits. Matt decided to try to clarify a little even though he wasn't certain it would matter to the young woman. She seemed to be in no particular rush in spite of the fact they'd collided at a decent pace. It could have been simply a matter of the way she always walked. Some people didn't have it in them to go through life at a walk. There had been a time in Matt's life where he'd felt as if he had to run to every destination. He'd gotten over it courtesy of being forced to slow down to deliberate the kinds of cases he took now.
"I'm in law. I specialize in corporate law with international properties. I'm checking in with a friend here who needs me to help negotiate international rights for his character designs through Blizzard. It's an interesting case. I have a healthy respect for artists. Are you studying only physical products or are you also interested in graphic art? I'm not sure what the curriculum here looks like though it does interest me. Has to be a lot more fun than law school."
~*~
At least he had a humor about him and wasn’t berating her for potentially being in the way. She still wasn’t quite sure who ran into whom and she would easily accept the blame than rather pin it on the blind guy who didn’t see her. She wasn’t that heartless. At least he seemed to not be horribly bothered by the inconvenience and she noticed that he was smiling. Always a good sign. The comment about people always wanting to take his money made her chuckle, “Nice to meet you. I’m Rapunzel Corona. And don’t worry, I’m not inclined to take anyone’s money.”
But the moment he explained that he was a lawyer it all made sense and she made a small noise of comprehension before chuckling again, “Well, you’re certainly the nicest lawyer I’ve run into. And that actually sounds quite interesting. So, you’re basically making sure that the acquisition goes smoothly and your client gets the royalties and such that they deserve?” The fact that he was helping with something like that certainly made him seem a lot nicer than the soulsucking jerks that you instantly think of the moment you hear the word lawyer.
“Definitely physical products. I’m not much for doing art on the computer, but I’m slowly learning. I do mostly painting and drawing, so fine arts basically. I’m trying my hand at a little bit of everything however, since it’s only my first year, and I’m considering going into illustration. So, if I ever need someone to help me negotiate contracts I’ll make sure to remember you. And I do have to say that it’s probably a lot more fun than law school.”
~*~
"Have you physically collided with many lawyers? I was hoping I was special."
Matt couldn't help himself sometimes. Humor helped offset the weight of the world he carried on his shoulders courtesy of his job. Literally handling worldwide mergers and acquisitions could bow a man down before he knew it; Matt wanted to cling to as much of the joy in his life as he could for as long as he had the option. There was no sense in deliberately seeking out misery. After all, Misery was the kind of bitch who loved company so she would come looking for him sooner or later on her own without any help from him.
"Sorry. I can't help myself sometimes. I was only thinking you have soft hands for an artist. Graphic design seemed a logical conclusion for that. There's a lot to be said for someone who prefers to work hands-on. I prefer it myself. I am indeed making certain my client gets everything he's entitled to as well as protecting his intellectual copyrights. I don't want him to sell outright and lose his concepts or designs to the mercy of some corporation. I think they'd have to make a really great deal for me to advise him to take something like that."
There was almost no possibility Matt would consider telling his client to sell copyright entirely to someone even as large as Blizzard.
"I do like the idea of gaining a new client. Here, have my card in case you want to launch global some day."
He reached into his pocket for the case which held his business cards, thumbing it open to retrieve one he could offer to Rapunzel.
~*~
“I can safely say that you are my first. But I did know a couple lawyers when I was younger.”
Not a lot of the people growing up in Eugene became lawyers, but a lot of lawyers decided they were sick of the nine to five and decided to go back to their hippie lifestyles that they had lived when they were younger. It was useful when people needed assistance because it didn’t seem like something you ever forgot, but those were the ones she knew. They could have been vicious sharks back in the day, but they were downright mellow by the time Rapunzel got around to knowing them.
The fact that he knew she had soft hands made her cheeks colored and she felt a little bashful now. She understood how he thought that, but it seemed suddenly odd and personal. But at least he was being nice about it? “Well, thank you so much for the hand compliment. I have a slight obsession with lotion, so I try not to let my hands get too callused. But, I do think it’s much more fun to work with your hands to create something, there’s so many ways to create art than you can do on a computer screen. No offense to graphic designers because they do some amazing stuff, but I love being able to change up how I’m making my art.”
“But you go, Mister Matt Murdock. It sounds like you’re the nice kind of lawyer that wants to take care of people instead of the type that wants to bleed people dry. But thank you so much for the card. I’ll make sure that you’re the first person to call if I ever need your services. Hopefully it won’t be anything terrible.” She took the card and placed into her purse and slowly stood back up now that everything was back in her bag.
~*~
Rapunzel was the first person to call him by both his first and last name in years. Matt thought it was quaint. He couldn't help grinning in response. Standing was easier for him with his cane which he latched onto courtesy of its lead loop. Matt got to his feet, brushing off his pants even though he hadn't actually kneeled directly on the ground. It was more habit than anything else. He was more aware of his appearance than most would think. Being blind didn't make him immune to the effects of judgment from others.
On the contrary, Matt was more likely to get judged than a sighted person.
Everyone expected the blind man to be barely put together. He loved proving them wrong with his tailored suits and carefully pressed clothing. Matt took pride in his appearance from his hair to his precisely knotted tie all the way down to his shined shoes. Could he see the results of his labors? No. Could he feel them? Yes. Better than most, Matt knew how a pressed suit felt against the skin and the difference between a glossy shoe over one which was scuffed from wear and tear.
"I doubt you'll ever wind up involved in anything too terrible, Rapunzel. Have a nice day and watch out for men running blind."
He headed on to his meeting hoping he was going to be able to talk his client into making the right decisions regarding his copyright negotiations.
~*~
“Thank you so much for the vote of confidence, I appreciate it. I will make sure to be a little more cautious. At least you were kind. I wish you well with your client and maybe we’ll meet again,” she had almost said run into each other, but she knew that that was the last thing he probably wanted to happen. It wasn’t much fun to run into people when you were on your way to something else.
She adjusted the strap on her bag and watched as she watched him make his way towards his meeting. At least it had gone well and Rapunzel hadn’t gotten yelled at for not watching where she was going. She hoped that things would go well for him with this case and then she checked her watch. With a started she realized she only had a few minutes to make it to class and she forced her legs into a run as she dashed off in the direction of her building.