O LIGHT THAT FOLLOWEST ALL MY WAY, I YIELD MY FLICKERING TORCH TO THEE;

[catholicisms]

characters: matt, & other people
location: many places
date/time: first half of november
content: matt is doing things
warnings: i'm still hot garbage at this... and i'll add if anything comes up



see below for starters, or hit me with a wildcard! just some stuff to tag at during the event, feel free to pm me or hit me up at meowed to chat about setting something up!

Comments

SORRY FOR THE LATE !! HERE I AM

[catholicisms]

( whether Javert notices him or not, is mostly immaterial. the reality is Matt notices him, and has for some time. blindness hasn't kept him from spotting his predictability, figuring out what he's doing as he treks through town. always the same path, almost the same time, a rigid determination in his route.

Matt occasionally does some wandering of his own, though mostly in the dark. not specific patrols, either. it's recent developments that pushes him to want to be more involved. a boy missing, an ugly streak of guilt he can't silence. it's not the first lost soul to fade since Matt arrived in Beacon, though it is the youngest he's ever known or had a chance to care about. he didn't do enough, he wasn't careful enough. maybe if he had been, things would be different.

so from here on, they will be.

that said, he can't easily get away with patrolling alone. it requires admitting more than he wants to. it'll be easier if he has a partner, a reliable one. one he can point in the right direction if something threatens, someone that can be trusted without needing to explain how he knows when he can't see. Javert doesn't know it, but he's been pegged as that exact partner, and Matt is quite determined to invite himself to his patrols.

if he wasn't noticed initially, he likely will be as he makes a more determined tap with his cane. ) Wait — do you have a minute? ( it's said only to give him enough time to catch up. Javert won't actually have to stop. ) Sorry. You're the one that patrols through here every day, right? ( he knows you are, Javert, but he's gotta play it cool. )

[policier]

( He does, indeed, stop. It may not be entirely necessary, but it is not as if Javert is in any hurry. He is not on duty, not on an official capacity. There is no crime nor revolution taking place. It would be rude of him not to, besides. So he turns, and fixes the other man with a piercing gaze, appraising him from top to bottom before answering evenly, )

I should think that obvious.

( His words are curt, but there's no bite to them. Javert has no quarrel with this man, and he is not in an unnecessarily sour mood. He's just gruff by nature. )

What is it, then? What do you want?

[catholicisms]

You would, but, it's harder to identify people just by their footsteps.

( it's an awkward rub, to point out the fact he's... well, blind, when he wants to convince the guy that he'd be useful to drag along on patrols. most people would probably pick Matt as their last viable option as far as backup, because it's hard to rely on someone that can't see threats incoming. which is entirely fair, but it's also not particularly accurate. hopefully the fact he could narrow him down by footsteps alone might indicate he's not quite useless, even if he's blind. )

I was hoping to help out, with the patrols. I've been here too long, and I haven't done enough. I want to change that, and I know I'd be more productive with a partner.

[policier]

( Perhaps it is not so much of a hindrance, given the perpetual darkness. Even Javert, with his nocturnal cat-like eyesight, has difficulty seeing things at time. Still, it is impressive, being able to identify others through sound alone. Javert isn't going to hide that either when he says, )

You must possess a good ear, then.

( He doesn't give Matt much time to soak in the compliment, though, rare as it is coming from him. He considers the offer for but a moment, and no longer. )

Surely there are other ways in which you may make yourself useful. Why this? Tell me, can you at least defend yourself?

[catholicisms]

( it's fine, Matt's catholic, he doesn't know what to do with compliments anyway. let's just pretend it never happened! )

I can. My father was a boxer, he taught me a few things. ( true, but not at all why Matt can beat the shit out of people. it's just so awkward to bring up secret kung-fu teachers, is all. ) I wouldn't ask if I didn't think I could be of use, I don't want to waste anybody's time.

( if Javert rejects him, well, he'll just find another way to make his rounds. Matt is that way. but he'd much rather do it this way, it makes his life a lot easier. )

[policier]

( That won't be necessary. Javert may be harsh at times, but he's less so now, and he's been trying as hard as he can to be fair. If this man says he doesn't wish to waste anyone's time, then Javert believes him. He regards Matt for another moment, then asks, )

What is your name? ( If they're going to work together, they should at least know that much. )

I am Javert. If you are truly so intent on helping, then I will not dissuade you. I myself only began this out of habit, and because it was my duty back home as a police officer.

( Which is to say, he understands where Matt is coming from. )

[catholicisms]

Matthew.

( Matt does usually go by his nickname, but something about the serious french police officer does make him feel like a little more formality would be appreciated. and Elektra can't be the only one out here using his full name. )

I felt like protecting my city was my duty when I was alive. I was a defense attorney, before I ended up here. I've been missing that purpose, it's about time I found another one.

( and he hopes this will make him feel more useful — and that it can help prevent seeing another name that matters to him listed in the weekly bulletins. )

I'll follow your lead, Javert. ( and Javert is like to notice he does keep up pretty well. )

[policier]

( He regards him solemnly, his stare nor his silence giving anything of his thoughts away. In truth, he's impressed, not only by the man's formality, but his desire to protect the town. Perhaps he may not be as useless as that other lawyer, Marius, who nearly let the Patron-Minette escape and ran off with Javert's pistols. He turns sharply on his heel and answers gruffly, )

Come, then.

( He stalks off in the direction he was headed, not bothering to look back to see if Matt is following. Though he does ask, )

What sort of work did you do as a lawyer?

[catholicisms]

( no need to look, the footsteps are surprisingly light but not particularly hard to follow. he's more than capable of moving almost silently, but he also knows when to use that skill and when it might arouse too many questions. he's not trying to hide at present, anyway. the tap of his cane is louder than his footsteps, but neither are particularly hard to hear. )

I was a defense attorney. I hope you won't hold that against me.

( theres just enough warmth in his tone to indicate that's a good-natured joke. for all the ribbing Mahoney gave him, they got along just fine )

[policier]

No.

( He answers. Not anymore. Javert has learned the value of defense attorneys, and the role they play in the system. Champmathieu did not have one, and he defended himself quite poorly. Had it not been for Valjean, appearing when he did, he would have been sentenced to the bagne for crimes he did not committ. It would have been an injustice. Javert does not say any of this. Instead, he folds his arms over his chest, and mutters a bit sardonically, )

There are worse things to be.

[catholicisms]

( there are worse things to be indeed. defense attorneys and law enforcement were not particularly known to rub shoulders, but Matt likes to think they more or less want the same thing. justice for those that deserve it, protection for those that needed it.

also, it doesn't hurt that Matt literally refuses to represent guilty clients — that's the usual sticking point between the two parties. )

The law degree doesn't do me much good here. Hopefully this — ( Matt waves a hand at nothing in particular, but he means the patrols more than their surroundings, ) Hopefully this will. ( when he first arrived in Beacon, he'd been certain it was some kind of purgatory. a place for him to atone for his violent tendencies, because ends didn't justify the means in the eyes of God. he has shied away from the tendencies that had damned him, in hope of cleansing his soul. so far, it doesn't seem to have helped much.

maybe it was just a matter of time before he ended up on patrols in the dark. this was what he was good at, and more and more he's finding plenty in Beacon he wants to protect. if all he has to offer this place is his willingness to fight, well, it's good that Matthew Murdock has never turned down a fight that needed fighting. whether it was a losing battle or not. )