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brainss ([info]brainss) wrote in [info]we_coexist,
@ 2015-05-08 11:49:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:liv moore, matt murdock, zz:status complete

Cat's Got Your Brain [Open to Agreeable Apartments Residents/Visitors]
It was lonely in The City. She missed having a boss that knew her secret, her potential zombie boyfriend Lowell, and even the friends and family that had known her when she was still alive who had to keep at arm's length for their own safety. The lawyer Matt Murdock seemed to know something was up, but Liv wasn't sure just how much she wanted to confide in him. The hearing her lack of regular heartbeat was just weird.

Liv finished up in the morgue with the recently deceased Mrs. Winkle, who died at the age of ninety-seven due to a stroke. She looked like a nice enough old lady. Maybe Liv would develop a fondness for playing Bridge, knitting, or go check out a lively game of Bingo.

It wasn't until the next day that Liv realized she'd eaten half the brain of a unrepentant cat lady. Just because she was aware of Mrs. Winkle's tendency to take in strays didn't mean she had the willpower to stop doing it. She'd already taken in three cats from the shelter and due to Mrs. Winkle's cunning, charmed all the neighborhood stray cats with milk and other treats.

Part of Liv knew she was going to be in trouble. Even if she managed to hide all her newfound four legged companions from the building manager and her neighbors, what was she going to do with the cats once the old woman was out of her system?

The Mrs. Winkle part of her didn't care. For the first time since coming to The City, Liv wasn't lonely anymore. It was nice having company that wouldn't judge her for her dietary needs.

Liv passed two cats inside the building on the way to her apartment, trying to walk as quietly as possible with her grocery bags filled with milk, tunafish, cat food, catnip and other paraphernalia. Another cat zipped out her apartment door the moment she opened it.

"Wait, Charlie, no!" she whispered with a wince.


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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 12:58 am UTC (link)
A cat scurried down the hallway, racing around the corner. It's claws captured the rug laying across the floor, and pulled up some of it. Hearing the scuttering and the pulling of the claws against the rug, Matt opened the door to his apartment.

Another feline slipped in through the part between his ankles, taking a moment to purr as it brushed the side of its body against his calf. It caused the hero to glance down with interest. Cats? Multiple?

Matt scooped up the cat hanging out at his legs and stood, brushing his fingers across the fur between its ears. He crossed into the hallway and followed the sounds of purring. It was getting louder and louder with every step he took down the hallway and finally he paused at Liv's door, head cocked as he listened. He held the cat up to the blonde and he smiled, "Lose someone?" The cat meweled sweetly and nuzzled itself against Matt's shoulder, purring loudly.

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[info]brainss
2015-05-09 01:18 am UTC (link)
"Prince Charles Fuzzybutt," Liv cooed. Her hands were full with grocery bags or she would have picked up the cat from Matt's arms and taken her back into the apartment in secrecy. As it was, there were at least four or five more cats in the apartment behind her; sleeping, purring and mewing.

"Uh..." Liv was trying to judge just how bad his vision was. "I just need to set my groceries down. Just a second."

Liv stepped into the apartment and kept the door open. Perhaps if he stood in the doorway, he wouldn't realize what was going on. She quickly set the bags and and then quickly met the lawyer to take the cat from his arms.

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 01:24 am UTC (link)
Matt chuckled at the name of the cat, "Cute. Very cute." He never had a cat, he had lived in apartments most of his life and trying to feed himself and his father. Having another mouth to feed was too much. Then he became blind and a pet was out of the question. His heroism kept him from being able to take care of a pet as well. But if he had to choose a pet it would probably have been a cat.

"Don't worry, I've got him. Take your groceries inside and I'll bring this one in. I think another one got further down the hallway but I'm not sure." Matt motioned over his shoulder at the obviously messed up rug further back toward the stairs.

Matt stood in her doorway, not invading her home. Be politely gave her the space she deserved and when she came back for the cat, Matt eased the feline into her care. He smiled at her, "He's a cute one. When did you get the cats?" He was glad she was taking to the lifestyle. "Do you need help unpacking your groceries? Those cats sound like they're getting hungry." He could hear their little tummies rumbling. He would help where he could.

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[info]brainss
2015-05-09 03:36 am UTC (link)
"Uh..." He didn't seem upset about the cats, so that was good. Perhaps he didn't realize how many she was feeding. Probably best if he didn't. She should have probably felt guilty for taking advantage of a blind man, but Mrs. Winkle's attachment to cats was stronger.

"They're temporary. I'm just fostering them until they can find their forever homes." Liv bit her bottom lip, "but they're not ready to go just yet."

The idea of taking the cats away panicked her slightly. Liv wasn't ready to get rid of the cats just yet.

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 03:43 am UTC (link)
Matt could hear multiple heartbeats, all of he purring in synchronicity. He knew there were more cats than those that had escaped and still he held no judgement against her. So she liked cats? That wasn't his call. He didn't run the place, to each their own.

"I can understand the need to help them. No worries. I'm not going to report you, Liv." It was an honest statement. The tone of her voice, the panic that he might be there to take the beasts from her was present. He wouldn't. It was not his place but he couldn't speak for the other tenants in the building.

"I hope they find good homes. Every animal deserves a good chance to have a great life with someone that takes time for them. Cats especially." Cats could be so independent, each needing their own realm of attention. He hoped she could acclimate to that demand.

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[info]brainss
2015-05-09 03:52 pm UTC (link)
The Mrs. Winkle part of Liv's brain cringed, and she snuggled Prince Charles to her chest a little more tightly, while the Liv part of her brain attempted to keep it together, "Mhm. Yes, oh course."

Mrs. Winkle had no intention of giving up on the cats. This apartment would be their good home. Those cats needed her. Liv froze, experiencing another vision, while the cat in her arms struggled and darted away. In the vision, Liv saw Mrs. Winkle crying into a tissue, surrounded by cats, sad there was no one to visit her.

Liv blinked as the vision ended and regarded Matt again. This time a little more torn about keeping a secret from him. She needed friends. Friends that could help her were just a bonus.

"So, hypothetical legal question..."

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 03:56 pm UTC (link)
The energy in the apartment felt strange and Matt really couldn't place as to why. Something was different and it was putting him on alert but not in a way that he deemed threatening. Just off. But he said nothing about what he was experiencing. Liv seemed to have her hands full with everything she was doing already.

And it was apparent she didn't need his help with her cats or any tasks.

Then the question came and Matt nodded at her, "I can give you a hypothetical legal answer, hopefully," he breathed. Legal matters were his bread and butter so to speak. Even in a hypothetical sense. He was honestly happy to just able to help where he could with anything.

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[info]brainss
2015-05-09 04:03 pm UTC (link)
"So let's say I have this friend..."

Liv grimaced. She wasn't exactly being smooth when it came to asking. Ravi had been more than understanding when he found out, extremely curious, but then Liv's condition was exactly the sort of thing that fascinated him. She wasn't just Ravi's underling and friend, she was his favorite patient, too.

"...who has very unusual dietary needs. If she doesn't get access to them she could pose a danger to others. But if her dietary needs were to come to light, not only are they probably illegal in normal circumstance but it might seem sort of scary or really, really wrong to people taking her actions out of context and..."

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 04:09 pm UTC (link)
Matt listened. He noted her already soft and slow heartbeat flutter as she spoke, the way her words caught in her throat... This friend, obviously, was her. But he didn't move to interrupt her until she had explained as much as she was willing. And he knew she wasn't lying per say, but that there might be more to the story that she was withholding from him. He had been there before, and he had experienced people only giving him a half truth.

"Liv, I have a feeling that there are vampires in this City. Are you trying to tell me that your friend is a vampire and that she might not be going through the proper channels in which to satisfy whatever needs she may have?" As long as nobody was dying, Matt didn't care what she was. And as long as she steered that hunger clear from Rose then they wouldn't have problems.

There was still no judgement in his tone, only a mild curiosity coupled with an honest statement. "From a legal stand point, that wouldn't fly in court. Ethically, I have a feeling that as long as your friend isn't murdering innocent people then she shouldn't feel so worried about exposure."

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[info]brainss
2015-05-09 04:15 pm UTC (link)
"Wait, what?"

Liv just sort of stared at Matt. That was not the sort of reaction she was looking for. Part of her brain lingered on the wouldn't fly in court bit, but there was a much, much more alarming and interesting part of what Matt already said.

"What do you mean you have a feeling there are vampires in The City? Vampires are real?"

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 04:19 pm UTC (link)
Matt blinked at her, eyes narrowing some as if he were confused by her not knowing. Obviously her "friend" wasn't a vampire. So what was she, then? "Of course. There are all kinds of creatures here: fairies, vampires, humans, metahumans....a little bit of everything. We all do the best we can to survive and be peaceful."

The City had its fair share of heros and villains, too. It was a fully functional place just like anywhere else in the world, and just like other places it had its fair share of trials.

"So if your friend is not a vampire, why did you allude toward that?" Maybe it was Matt's lack of education and knowledge of subsequent species fitting that same description. The only other guess he could make, logically, was a zombie. However Liv wasn't a fitting description of a brain-consuming death walker. Was she?

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[info]brainss
2015-05-09 04:26 pm UTC (link)
"I didn't! I wasn't aware they existed!"

It seemed silly for Liv to freak out about the existence of other non-human creatures, but what Matt said sounded supernatural. What Liv had was some sort of medically explained infection, but at least her condition still sounded as though it were within the realm of science.

"So do other people think vampires exist, too? Is everyone just cool with that? That's just like a thing here? People look the other way?"

Liv was either hung up on vampires being real or she was chickening out and deflecting from her own situation.

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 04:31 pm UTC (link)
Matt shrugged his shoulders at Liv, though he was glad to see her enthusiasm. "I'm glad you're excited but I can't tell you what the reaction of society as a whole thinks. I have no idea. I can tell you that I haven't heard of any vampire social clubs, so I doubt that they're being too social. But I do know I've heard rumors of vampire night clubs down by the docks. Sometimes it's on Main Street." What was that place called? He had heard an advertisement about it some place, "Purgatory?"

It might be worth Liv's time to check it out. Maybe not. It was his job to know the shadier places in the City in order to keep the piece. He was no vampire hunter nor did he want to be, though.

"I know, for sure, that no matter what you are its best to be up front about it. In my experience things like that are easier to deal with and process if the knowledge is there. That's just me, though. It makes the most sense. Being given the courtesy of an opportunity to had the knowledge of a species so I know what I'm up against and not to fear it is much better than being surprised later."

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[info]brainss
2015-05-09 04:39 pm UTC (link)
"That's easy for you to say, Mr. I-Can-Hear-Your-Heartbeat. I don't think super hearing or whatever it is that you have is high on the list of concerns for the average person. You want the courtesy of knowing what I am, you go first."

Liv filed away the information about Purgatory for later. She wasn't sure what meeting a vampire would really accomplish, but if there were people remotely similar to her maybe it would be a start.

"You're not up against me, okay? Never mind. I'm sorry I brought it up."

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 04:49 pm UTC (link)
Matt nodded. He had nothing to hide from Liv and he would never lie to her. "As you can tell, I can't see. I'm blind and I know that people can tell, if not my looking at my face directly and seeing the scarring then by the way my eyes look. When I was a kid, I rescued a blind man from an out of control semi in my neighborhood. It crashed and it was carrying chemicals. I got splashed in the face after that I couldn't see anything. But for some strange reason my other senses are heightened to extreme measures. I can hear heartbeats, smell things...I can use echolocation to pinpoint where things are and get flashes of the things around me. I call it a Sonic Sense. It's limited, of course. I can't watch television, movies, I can't read a book like you can though I can absorb information in text form. I can't dial a telephone..."

Then Matt shook his head at Liv, "That's not what I meant, and I'm sorry it came out that way. That was rude. It's not "up against" you in the sense that you're a monster. But humans aren't as special as some of the other creatures. I have no fear of anything. Not even death. But I'm still human. Shouldn't we have some inkling as to what lives around us? I think it'll help us survive better together. Nobody in this City lashes out at anyone else. We have trouble, bad guys, no place is without their share of trouble, but I help watch the streets. I was a person back home that helped the police keep the streets clean of crime." There was no boast in his words, only a soft humbleness.

"They called me Daredevil." The man without fear. A terrorist. Whatever suited the situation. Liv didn't have to like him or want to be his friend, but he would always give her the respect of the truth and honesty. She didn't have to like it or accept it, but it was there.

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[info]brainss
2015-05-09 05:29 pm UTC (link)
"You're a superhero," Liv said flatly. It wasn't really a question or a statement. While it didn't sound like much of a dark secret, it was still a hell of a thing to reveal to her. She couldn't exactly hold out on him now.

"Eight months ago I went to a boat party. They were passing around some kind of designer drug. It was stupid. I don't do drugs, I don't go to parties, I was working to complete my residency so I could become a doctor and help people."

She sighed.

"Then people started attacking and eating each other. I tried to jump overboard but someone infected scratched me before I made it. I woke up in a bodybag. The ME on the scene was so freaked out that he misidentified me as a 'dead girl' that no one looked into it too thoroughly."

Liv rubbed the back of her neck.

"I'm a zombie. I transferred to the morgue. I eat brains of the dead. Sometimes I get their memories, skills, or quirky personality traits. I told the police I was a psychic so when I eat murder victim brains I can use the memories of the dead to help solve crimes. If I don't eat brains I get dumber and meaner. And I've seen what happens to infected like me who are starved...

"I know the risks of my infecting someone else. I'm cautious. I don't let anyone get close to me, I keep my nails trimmed. I even broke things off with my fiancé.

"There. That's my deal. Maybe I am kind of a monster."

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-09 05:36 pm UTC (link)
Matt lifted a hand, rubbing a palm against the back of his neck in response to her statement about his being a hero. He was no hero by any stretch of a measure, but he did what he could. Some might call that heroic. Others called it terrorism. He was a vigilante, and his name was whispered on the streets. The Crimson Devil. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Could you call a Devil a hero?

Lowering his hand back to his side, Matt listened. He kept his calm against the harshness of her words and he felt a little bad for her. That had to suck. While she was risky to humans like him, it sounded like she knew how to control her urges. The morgue would help her. He recalled her ID badge from when they had first met. And that somewhat explained the cats.

"As long as you can keep yourself under control, I don't think anyone will worry. You sound like you have a handle on it, and you're not a monster, Liv. You were in the wrong place and the wrong time. It's not like you sought out that lifestyle. I'm sorry you left your fiancé." Matt knew what it was like to be alone, to have that risk. He hoped one day maybe she would find someone to love and that could love her the way it was meant to be.

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[info]brainss
2015-05-10 06:07 am UTC (link)
"I've kept it under control for the last seven months," she said flatly. "Major is better off anyway."

She shrugged. That wasn't entirely the truth. If her adrenaline shot up, she did go into full on zombie mode, but Liv managed to calm herself down before really hurting anyone. Then there was the complications of brain eating, but if illegally housing several cats in her apartment wasn't out of control, then sure. She had everything under control.

"Just... I know you're basically the costume variety of the neighborhood watch and and everything but don't tell anyone, alright? I don't think everyone would be as understanding as you and that's really my call to make. Please? Promise me?"

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-10 01:21 pm UTC (link)
He could hear by her tone that she wasn't very happy with his choice of words. He felt wounded by the snap of tone but he understood it. He couldn't make everyone happy and his job was to protect above all. It was nothing against her, personally. He would have said the same things to any one in that situation, zombie or vampire or anyone. But he wouldn't forget that she used to be human, either. That was what mattered most and he felt that was the key to helping her stay sane and functional.

Matt nodded, "You're right, Liv. That isn't my place to tell any one your business. I promise I won't say anything to anybody about it." He wouldn't even tell Rose, not yet. She would know about Liv in general, but not about her condition. "But if you need anything you have to promise me that you'll come find me. I can and will protect you, but only if you let me. I will help in any way that I can you just have to ask."

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[info]brainss
2015-05-10 04:12 pm UTC (link)
She sighed with relief. Maybe she had been too harsh. It was hard to say how much of her previous tone was the old type-A Liv and slightly paranoid, very lonely Mrs. Winkle. But her voice was softer afterward, "I promise. Thank you, Matt."

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-10 04:16 pm UTC (link)
The sharpness of her tone dropped and Matt breathed out a sigh of relief. He offered Liv a smile and a nod, "You're welcome. Stay out of trouble, okay?" The last part was offered with a small amount of tease. He knew she would keep her head down and stay out of the limelight if she could.

"You should come by for dinner one night. Rose and I would love to have you over. We don't share the same cuisine, obviously, but I think we can manage something. We will figure it out when we get there. Your plate is a little bit full right now."

He could hear a few pleasured mewls from within the apartment as if to confirm her busy schedule.

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[info]brainss
2015-05-10 05:02 pm UTC (link)
"I can eat regular food," she said. "I just can't really taste it anymore unless it has six chilli peppers next to it on the menu."

She missed food. Not just the normal junk food things like ice cream and french fries. She missed all of it. Salads, seafood, any kind of ethnic or world cuisine; all of it.

Looking behind her at the cats, Liv couldn't help but smile. At least she had company for now. Might as well enjoy it while it lasted. "...Yeah."

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[info]ablinddevil
2015-05-10 05:06 pm UTC (link)
"So it has to be really hot. Good to know. I think we can figure something out so that everyone involved will enjoy their dinner." He could get very hot peppers or sauce that was hot enough for Liv to taste it. The food wouldn't be bland beneath the sauce or the peppers, but he was sure the flavor would be drowned out by the intense heat.

"Well, when you're ready you can let me know. There isn't any rush on getting together."

Matt turned to look down the hallway at the other cat that had escaped. Slowly it had made its way back toward the apartment with a small doormouse dangling from its maw. Proudly it strutted up towards them. He followed it with his gaze and looked back up at Liv with a grin, "Looks like you got a present."

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