InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "that darn cat"

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

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.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

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.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	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." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

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."

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -