I've missed you too. Here it goes: if a woman died twice, is buried once, and there's no signs of trauma on her body to reflect any of those things, she cannot recall them either, did it actually happen?
I know where to find anyone worth finding. See you soon.
[She's got no fancy knock unlike some people so it's fairly obvious it's her. Even if it isn't, Elektra will speak up after a second.] Is this the part where I say 'Honey, I'm home?' because I skipped to the part where I'm bearing gifts.
[Two coffees to be exact. She has a feeling they'll need them.]
[Karen probably shouldn't be using Frank's room as her office for the day but she wants the excuse to not have to wear her magboots out around the station. So she's got papers from her notebook spread out, along with her recent haul of finds she picked up earlier in the day. She shoves them out of the way and scrambles to hurry and open the door, since she figures it's Elektra. Seeing a coffee and her friend there makes her smile, and she reaches out to curl fingers around her wrist to drag Elektra inside.]
Welcome home, honey.
[She bounces off what's already been said to joke around, taking one of the coffees in the process of moving to embrace Elektra in a loose hug. Matt's arrival has brought a lot of emotion to the surface, and she can only imagine that it's the same for everyone that knows him.]
[Elektra doesn't hesitate to hug her back. She's needed this. Matthew had once again taken over her life. She's not upset about it entirely. He needs her. She'll always need him to an extent. It's nice to be with someone who sees her truly without having to watch her die once or twice to get there.... or whatever happened.
She pulls back reluctantly to take a seat and try to enjoy some coffee. She brushes her bangs back reflexively.] Draining, but wonderful in a sad way? I felt like such a fool running to his side when he needed me. Haven't I learned anything?
[She openly mocks herself before biting down on her lip hard. This part is painful.] But, he apologized. Not for what the stunt he pulled in retrospect, but to him that was months ago. Water under the bridge. I don't even know how to talk to him about it considering my riddle.
[Karen sits on the edge of the bed to drink at her coffee. This is a pretty heavy subject matter, and she isn't exactly sure how to deal with it. But Elektra clearly needs to talk it out, so she'll do her best.]
Did he tell you that you died twice? Because besides it being a medical anomaly, you'd have to have some kind of mark from what killed you.
[Like a knife wound or bullet entry point. Karen says this as if she's a medical examiner and has all the expertise in the world.]
Yes and was buried once. I'm sure it was a very lovely, Catholic funeral. [Elektra smiles bitterly as points this out. Honestly who else would go through the trouble, but Matthew? ] I checked. There's nothing on my body that I don't remember getting.
[She takes a sip of her coffee and decides to finally see how much Matthew let Karen in on the mess he got involved in.] What do you know about the Hand?
[Her heart painfully twists and aches when she imagines Elektra dead and buried in the ground. The coffee in her mouth tastes more bitter than she can handle all of a sudden, and she has to get up to go set it aside. She takes to pacing then, thoughts racing. Eventually she ends up at Elektra's side, frowning in concern as she tries to look the other woman over with her eyes.]
You tell me about the Hand. I want to hear it from you.
[She doesn't mean to necessarily imply that she knows anything or doesn't know, but she wants to hear what Elektra has to say rather than letting information rest on whatever Matt might have told her. She doesn't trust him the way she used to, though she's trying now that they're all trapped in space together.]
[It's only when Karen begins to pace that she considers what she said might be upsetting. Elektra exhales audibly. She should have known better, but only Stick ever gets the full report usually. He'd have at least pretend the whole thing was funny in a dark way. When Karen makes her request, she nods in agreement. She'll tell her everything she knows even if it all sounds like a children's story.] It started hundreds of years ago. A group emerged, broken off from their previous master, and was so convinced of their power they laid siege upon the land and its people. We know it started out as early as Feudal Japan, but that's only what we are certain of. The truth is it's difficult to know where it all started because this group did something impossible. These people learned to conquer death. As beings that could not die permanently, they saw no value in natural human life. They killed and conquered as they pleased until one day they left a survivor who wished to fight back. That survivor in their rage created a group to fight these seemingly immortal beings. This group called themselves the Chaste. As the centuries went on, the Chaste fought the Hand into a stalemate because although the Hand boasted superior numbers through promises of eternal life, nothing is more powerful than vengeance. The best the Hand can do is influence and scheme. One of these schemes involves a weapon known only as the Black Sky. They say this thing will be like god once it has been awakened from its slumber. It will give them the power to finally conquer Earth.
[She shrugs. She believes it, of course. Elektra is aware of how insane that sounds.] To my recollection, the Hand have already infiltrated your city. With Matthew's help, I was fighting them back and trying to discover what they want from your city. Historically, it ends badly whenever they settle somewhere for an extended period. The cities they settle into have a bad habit of dying natural deaths from earthquakes, volcanoes, and so on. Whatever they do in these cities breeds destruction. The Chaste think it's part of their failed efforts to activate a Black Sky, but despite all our efforts we can't be sure. Still with me?
[That's a lot to get through, but Karen hangs on Elektra's every word. Not only is it information she desperately craves, it's information about her friend's life. It's about what has directly impacted Elektra and shaped her into who she is here. That's valuable insight, and she knows that there must be trust between them for Elektra to confide in her like this.
By the end of everything, Karen's pacing has slowed down to a near stop. Her hands are anxiously fidgeting together, and she's looking at Elektra with a carefully guarded expression. Anything too close to pity and she knows she'll be insulting.]
It's not that surprising something with the power to conquer Earth is in New York.
[She gives a little nod, wishing she could say more. Yes, she's still with her. Yes, she understands everything that's been said so far.]
Did you ever find out what they wanted, how they could activate Black Sky?
[It is for the best because Karen is right. Pity would be insulting to her. The benefit of spending her childhood as a soldier-in-training is that she can't see what's wrong with any of this. She's simply following the path laid out for her by an old man who stumbled across her as small child.
She smiles, openly relieved that she put her trust in the right person. Karen understands the very real danger everyone is in. That is always the hardest part.] No, it's actually the most believable thing I've said so far.
[She tucks her hair behind her ear, shaking it gently. She is ashamed that she let her personal feelings impede her mission. It feels like she's admitting it to Karen now. She got sentimental and now they're all in danger.] All I know for certain is that it's deep underground; beneath Midland Circle to be exact. They are working very hard to get to it.
[She catches Karen's eyes. This much she can promise her.] I'll return to New York with you, Francis, and Matthew. I'll get to the bottom of this regardless of the state of my relationship with him. I'll make sure they don't destroy your city. It's what I was trained to do and no one is better at it than me.
[Karen goes through a lot of emotions all at once. Her heart breaks for Elektra and the fact that she has to live with this on her shoulders. She also is furious that there's nothing she can do to help. As much as she's a part of Frank's life and wants to try and be there for Matt, she knows that she's a liability. There's no guarantee that they'll be able to go back home, because Karen isn't positive they even have a home to go back to. None of that matters as much as keeping everyone she cares about safe here, Elektra included.
She ends up crouched down in front of elektra, placing her hands on the other woman's knees. She wants to look her directly in the eye when they talk about this, because she doesn't want to seem like she's making light of anything. ]
I believe you.
[Because that's the most important thing here, isn't it?]
If we manage to get back home, I'll help you. You won't have to do this alone. I promise.
[It says a lot about Elektra that she can't even imagine home being gone if only because she spent her life dealing with an endless war. It can't be wiped away so easily, can it? She can't know. What she does know is that Karen said has touched her deeply. Her eyes are wet and vulnerable as she plays back the words. I believe you. It means a lot when she is speaking of a fairytale that even Matthew wasn't convinced was real.
The offer of help floors her too. If she were the type of woman to cry this would do it. No one has ever offered to be in this with her. Even if it's selfish, she wants to accept. Elektra reaches over to push back a bit of blond hair and smiles sadly at Karen. She hasn't hurt her. It's the opposite actually. She's validated her in a way no one ever has. It's so overwhelming.] Thank you.
[There's a lot she could do in that moment, as it weighs heavily between them. The gesture of hugging Elektra might feel like too much for the both of them, with as electrically charged as the air is. She doesn't want to draw attention to the tears, but also wants to let Elektra know it's fine for them to be there.
In the end, she leans forward for a moment and presses their foreheads together. It's a brief instant, just long enough for them to breathe the same air and feel empowered by the fact they're not alone.
As she pulls away, there's a slight nod of her head. Karen accepts the gratitude, and plans on making good on her promise.]
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un: orchids
While I'm at it, hello. How are you? [She barely restrains herself from adding I miss you, but that's a bit much, she thinks.]
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I've missed having you around. So go ahead, tell me the riddle.
[How distressing could it be?]
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[She's got no fancy knock unlike some people so it's fairly obvious it's her. Even if it isn't, Elektra will speak up after a second.] Is this the part where I say 'Honey, I'm home?' because I skipped to the part where I'm bearing gifts.
[Two coffees to be exact. She has a feeling they'll need them.]
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Welcome home, honey.
[She bounces off what's already been said to joke around, taking one of the coffees in the process of moving to embrace Elektra in a loose hug. Matt's arrival has brought a lot of emotion to the surface, and she can only imagine that it's the same for everyone that knows him.]
Are you...how was seeing Matt?
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She pulls back reluctantly to take a seat and try to enjoy some coffee. She brushes her bangs back reflexively.] Draining, but wonderful in a sad way? I felt like such a fool running to his side when he needed me. Haven't I learned anything?
[She openly mocks herself before biting down on her lip hard. This part is painful.] But, he apologized. Not for what the stunt he pulled in retrospect, but to him that was months ago. Water under the bridge. I don't even know how to talk to him about it considering my riddle.
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Did he tell you that you died twice? Because besides it being a medical anomaly, you'd have to have some kind of mark from what killed you.
[Like a knife wound or bullet entry point. Karen says this as if she's a medical examiner and has all the expertise in the world.]
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[She takes a sip of her coffee and decides to finally see how much Matthew let Karen in on the mess he got involved in.] What do you know about the Hand?
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You tell me about the Hand. I want to hear it from you.
[She doesn't mean to necessarily imply that she knows anything or doesn't know, but she wants to hear what Elektra has to say rather than letting information rest on whatever Matt might have told her. She doesn't trust him the way she used to, though she's trying now that they're all trapped in space together.]
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[She shrugs. She believes it, of course. Elektra is aware of how insane that sounds.] To my recollection, the Hand have already infiltrated your city. With Matthew's help, I was fighting them back and trying to discover what they want from your city. Historically, it ends badly whenever they settle somewhere for an extended period. The cities they settle into have a bad habit of dying natural deaths from earthquakes, volcanoes, and so on. Whatever they do in these cities breeds destruction. The Chaste think it's part of their failed efforts to activate a Black Sky, but despite all our efforts we can't be sure. Still with me?
[She knows she lost Francis earlier.]
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By the end of everything, Karen's pacing has slowed down to a near stop. Her hands are anxiously fidgeting together, and she's looking at Elektra with a carefully guarded expression. Anything too close to pity and she knows she'll be insulting.]
It's not that surprising something with the power to conquer Earth is in New York.
[She gives a little nod, wishing she could say more. Yes, she's still with her. Yes, she understands everything that's been said so far.]
Did you ever find out what they wanted, how they could activate Black Sky?
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She smiles, openly relieved that she put her trust in the right person. Karen understands the very real danger everyone is in. That is always the hardest part.] No, it's actually the most believable thing I've said so far.
[She tucks her hair behind her ear, shaking it gently. She is ashamed that she let her personal feelings impede her mission. It feels like she's admitting it to Karen now. She got sentimental and now they're all in danger.] All I know for certain is that it's deep underground; beneath Midland Circle to be exact. They are working very hard to get to it.
[She catches Karen's eyes. This much she can promise her.] I'll return to New York with you, Francis, and Matthew. I'll get to the bottom of this regardless of the state of my relationship with him. I'll make sure they don't destroy your city. It's what I was trained to do and no one is better at it than me.
[She truly believes that for better or worse.]
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She ends up crouched down in front of elektra, placing her hands on the other woman's knees. She wants to look her directly in the eye when they talk about this, because she doesn't want to seem like she's making light of anything. ]
I believe you.
[Because that's the most important thing here, isn't it?]
If we manage to get back home, I'll help you. You won't have to do this alone. I promise.
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The offer of help floors her too. If she were the type of woman to cry this would do it. No one has ever offered to be in this with her. Even if it's selfish, she wants to accept. Elektra reaches over to push back a bit of blond hair and smiles sadly at Karen. She hasn't hurt her. It's the opposite actually. She's validated her in a way no one ever has. It's so overwhelming.] Thank you.
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In the end, she leans forward for a moment and presses their foreheads together. It's a brief instant, just long enough for them to breathe the same air and feel empowered by the fact they're not alone.
As she pulls away, there's a slight nod of her head. Karen accepts the gratitude, and plans on making good on her promise.]