if she could stay in a stable relationship, then that’s where she’d be right now. but unfortunately, her love life stinks more then a pile of dog poo. her last ACTUAL relationship had been with none other then john constantine and while she wasn’t like everyone in the sense that she wants to kill him, they just can’t seem to stay together for long. she does love him and he’s one of the few people she loves that is ALIVE. and maybe they’ll work out in the future, but she won’t count on it.
she turns her attention back to matt, raising an eyebrow quietly. as unexpected as theirflirtationhad been, she’s glad it happened. in the sense that she can ( hopefully ) just have a bit of fun this night and not have to worry about anything else. ❛ yeah —- gotham has like, triple that. but it also has the LEAGUE watching over it, so i suppose that’s why. ❜ she let’s him draw her closer, a smile curling along her lips as she glances up at the sky. oh boy, she was excited for when the SNOW was going to fall. and christmas and the decorations and —- she was getting ahead of herself. ❛ sounds good to me. you wanna tell me about the place while we walk there? or just talk in general. … i like hearing you talk. ❜
matt’s last steady relationship was probably in college - even if he had to put the thought to it, he really couldn’t remember. between passing the bar, getting an internship, and then opening up nelson & murdock with foggy, not to mention the numerous head injuries, the sorts of memories that just weren’t relevant any more were hard to bring to the surface. for now, though, he wouldn’t even bother worrying about it - he was going out for some drinks and good conversation. maybe it would keep his mind of other things for the time being.
the temperature has certainly dropped in the past few weeks, and he senses that its going to snow soon. he smiled when she lets him pull her closer, one of his arms wrapped in hers and the other using his cane to keep tabs on what was in front of him. not that he needed it, but she didn’t need to know that. “well, i suspect we’ll be safe tonight. crime takes a dive when its going to snow,” he bites his lower lip, squeezing zee’s arm with a smile. “its a bit of a shit hole, but josie’s is home for us - foggy and i. there’s alcohol, its warm. its also quiet enough that i can talk as much as you want. i’m not that exciting, though.”
one of the main reasons why she hasn’t settled down with a family yet ( she’s twenty-eight; certainly the age for it ), is because of the lifestyle she lives. while zatanna has SCALED-BACK a lot of the heroics she does nowadays, she still was a hero. is a hero. she’s seen first-hand what being a hero does to people. it’s not all saving people and having people CHANT your name. it’s a lot of heartbreak and tears and having people die. but despite that, she doesn’t regret it. she just wishes it was easier.
❛ that’s what i said. trust me, it’s a great honor. ❜ she remarks lightly, glancing over at him briefly. honestly, he was probably most women’s type of guy. she wouldn’t be surprised. ❛ that’s fine by me. besides, i’m not too much of a damsel. ❜ her gaze drifts towards their surroundings, before letting her gaze drift back towards him. she had no idea where to go. however, if this was GOTHAM, then she would. ❛ well …. is there any place you would recommend? i mean, from —- from experience. ❜
the lifestyle he leads isn’t something that lends to dating and relationships; his days are busy with work, and his nights are busy with keeping hell’s kitchen afloat. even if he could find the time to steadily commit to someone, how many women would appreciate a guy who comes home beaten to shit half the time? how many would be okay being with someone who might not even come home? matt loved his city, and there was only so much room in his heart. he was a tough shell to crack, especially these days - anyone who got close to him seemed to somehow or another get hurt.
but tonight, he’s going to make an exception to the rule.
the city had been quiet as of late - much thanks to fisk finally being behind bars. what could it hurt to take some time to do something fun; something for himself? “ i’m glad to hear that. there’s enough heroes in this town; there’s only room for so many,
”
he smirks, subtly drawing her closer to him - the night air is brisk and winter is right on the doorstep (like he really needs an excuse, though).
“
there’s this place my partner and i like to go to - josie’s - its just down a few blocks.
”
its not the most romantic place to take someone, but who said matt murdock was in to romance?
anyone could tell you that zatanna zatara was a hopeless romantic. yes, she flirts with guys ( and girls ) in bars, and she most definitely has more one night stands then relationships but underneath the natural flirt —— she is a sucker for love. she’s the type of girl to watch the NOTEBOOK and want someone to look at her like noah looks at allie, or to see elderly couples and have her poor heart fly out of her chest. but even as she wants all of those things, she has to face the reality that she’s going to be stuck flirting and hooking up until she gets lucky. and she’s fine with that. but she doesn’t want to be like that forever.
❛ mm, good. you’re my type of guy then. ❜ gentle fingers curl over his hand and she can’t help the infectious smile that spreads over her face, ducking her head slightly. she feels warm with her fingers touching his skin, but she’s pretty sure that’s her blush. ❛ well, i have a feeling it is with you. it’s too bad not a lot of other guys think like you. ❜ her fingers brush against his palm as they let go and she holds her arm out, starting to walk when he has a good grip on her elbow. ❛ gotham can be a dangerous place. i know how to hold my own. but —– i won’t complain much if you decide to be my knight in shining armor. ❜ she let’s out a gentle laugh, a grin curling around her lips. yeah sure, she is nothing like a damsel in distress, but she can humor the thought.
the concept of settling down wasn’t something on the agenda for matt murdock any time soon. to be fair, it hadn’t ever even come close to being scheduled on the weekly timetable, let alone the overall plan, and particularly now with his…nighttime avenues - he didn’t have the time or ability to commit to anyone. for now, short-led romances were his thing, if he felt inclined to pursue one at all. today, things were looking rather appealing. he had to let loose sometime, right?
"your type of guy, hmm?
“
the smile in her voice lights up his face again. her blush, the flushing of her skin as her heart beats erratically - it appeals to him, knowing he has this effect on her, and despite his best efforts to keep it under wraps his own skin flushes a shade of scarlet.
" no guarantees, but i’ll do what i can.
”
he walks with her out of the office, locking the door behind him, and soon enough they’re on the streets of hell’s kitchen.
“
so – where to first miss zatara? there’s nothing overly fancy out here but, we hold our own.
”
you know, she hadn’t planned on flirting with him when she first initially agreed to come to HELL’S KITCHEN. zatanna doesn’t plan doing most things, especially when it concerns flirting. she’s just glad that it isn’t one-sided. even if it had been, she’d be okay with that too. while there is many that have admitted being ATTRACTED to her, she doesn’t expect everyone to fall into a love spell with her. —– it would do wonders to her ego, but she really doesn’t need everyone in the universe to fall in love with her.
her gaze follows his hand as it disappears briefly into his hair, teeth capturing between her two sets of teeth. she almost becomes so enticed with that one movement of his that she almost misses what he says to her. ❛ i try to keep a positive outlook on everything. it makes life easier. ❜ she comments, a smile catching at the corner of her mouth. ❛ great. i was going to offer you room service from my hotel room, but i figured that was a bit too forward. aw —– do you treat all girls like that? ❜ zatanna teases him, her smile growing wider by the second. she almost gets up before he holds out a hand to her, perking up a brow before she takes it. ❛ ever the GENTLEMEN. … but yes, we shall. ❜
the trick to flirting was that it was never planned. that was one thing matt had learned long ago, and one thing that he had kept up with over time; think about it ahead of the game, and things were bound to get awkward. fly by the seat of your pants? good to go. it wasn’t like he needed a copious quantity of thought to appeal himself to women; it was just something that came naturally (much to foggy’s disappointment and jealousy). he certainly wasn’t the type to fall in love [had he ever actually been in love? ], but the here and in between seemed to be his forte.
“ i’m a start with drinks and see where it goes kinda guy, ”
he teases, smile brimming as she takes his hand. her skin is soft, her hands warm, an ELECTRICITY pulsing through her touch that is completely foreign to him. now that is something he’ll need to explore further.
“
chivalry is alive and well, i’d like to think. ”
he squeezes her hand lightly before letting it go, taking the crook of her elbow as a guide instead and motioning at the door.
“
hell’s kitchen can be a dangerous place. i’ll make sure your safe,
”
he squeezes her arm gently, almost making a joke at his own expense – but in reality, he was more than capable of handling anything that came their way.
despite her involvement with the league, she was still a magician at heart. of course, being a hero was the most amazing thing in the world and saving people was something she’d do over and over again, but ——– being in the SPOTLIGHT was in her blood. she had grown up watching her father on stage and had even sometimes been out there on stage with him. when her father had died ( she can still feel his ashes between her fingers and it’s still too painful to think about sometimes), she had vowed to be someone that he’d be proud of. and that person was a hero and a magician. almost everything she does, she does to make him proud.
zatanna lets the smile on her face grow wider, letting the leg on top of her other one bounce slightly. of course, bruce hadn’t asked her to flirt with the very attractive lawyer, but then again —– she wasn’t doing it for him. she was doing it because she was a NATURAL flirt and well, her love life sucks. a girl’s gotta have fun, one way or another. and this could definitely be classified as fun.
her tongue runs over the back set of teeth in her mouth, letting out a small hum of approval. honestly, the only plans she had tonight was to go back to her hotel room and order a excess amount of food service. but this …. this was way better. ❛ everything and everyone is special in their own little way. ❜ she muses, clicking her tongue once. it’s hard to stop herself from grinning like the JOKER has control over her mouth. ❛ well, i don’t know anyone else who can show me around the city. and yes —- i believe there’s more to talk about in relation to the case. maybe … over drinks. that is, if you’re not too busy. ❜ oh yeah, this is going to make her dad proud. not.
by now, the fact that zatanna was here on business was a relatively moot point; it had certainly had morphed into more or less a topic of conversation - a mere formality in the grand scheme of things. it didn’t bother matt TOO much; he hit stop on the recorder before any more of his dalliance with this client (no, liaison FOR a client) carried on any further. the rest of the information he and foggy would need to build a case and to defend bruce wayne would come later in the week once they fetched his statement. for now, the chase was on, and it was a merry one.
every subtle gesture she makes is analyzed in his mind; every hum, or tongue click she makes entices him to continue playing the game even further. he runs a hand through his dark hair, tilting his head a bit as she speaks. “ that’s a good attitude to have,
”
he chuckles, standing and walking to the corner to grab his cane.
“
drinks, yeah - i can agree to that. i’ll make sure to clear my social calendar for the night for you.
”
he turns back in her direction, the wicked, toothy grin lighting up his face. grabbing the dark sunglasses from the table and replacing them on the bridge of his nose, matt offers her his hand.
“
so, should we go see what hell’s kitchen has to offer, then?
”
she can’t say that she’s always wanted to be a superhero. quite frankly, she had wanted to be a magician just like her father when she was younger. an occupation that she now does and enjoys it to the fullest. however, she’s always had a KIND HEART. zatanna took after her parents, more so her dad, who were always kind people. she had a good heart and often saw the good in people, choosing not to believe they’re terrible unless there’s no other option. that’s why she joined the league after finding her father. they helped people, and GOTHAM, and she wanted to be a part of that.
honestly, it was a bit frustrating to be one of the few females that had been in the league. sure, the female number was growing but the women of the league were still often surrounded by men. very attractive men, ( though they were masks ninety percent of the time, but still ). and yet, while she thought she would be used to being in the presence of an attractive man, clearly this wasn’t the case. she blinks slowly when he takes off his glasses casually, dragging her tongue along her bottom lip. he almost looks BOYISH without the glasses, and she can say with full confidence that if she wasn’t a bit flustered before at his appearance, she is now. —— zatanna zatara doesn’t get flustered at men.
she coughs, pressing her lips together lightly. the smile on his face is nearly breathtaking, and she gives him a smile of her own; fingers releasing from her knee and combing through the soft, dark curls of her hair. ❛ AS YOU WISH. oh, how special exactly? i mean, i just came here for you, really and i haven’t had a chance to really see the city. so, i don’t really know how special it is. ❜ she perks a brow up at him, shooting him a smile that curls at both corners of her mouth.
the last thing matt would call himself was a hero. he acted out of necessity - of a need to do the right thing by his community - and to make the world a somewhat better place. there was no need for tights and a cape (until recently the idea of a uniform outside of his underarmor and martial arts gear wasn’t even an option), no need for the pageantry and baby-kissing of superhero fame; for him, it was about putting the shit of hell’s kitchen where it belonged, and stepping in when the little guy was at risk.
now he can really hear her heartbeat and the change in ambient temperature. she coughs, and fidgets slightly - restless. there’s a change to the tone of her voice, too, one that keeps the smile plastered firmly across his face; she knows how to play the game of cat-and-mouse, and feeling like he’s in college all over again, his excitement peaks knowing the chase is on. for the first time in a long time, he isn’t focused on being a masked vigilante.
his long, strong fingers tap a staccato on the desk, his hands extending a little bit further in her direction in a straight up body language queue. the teeth of his upper jaw pull against his lower lip briefly and he snickers. “ special enough,
”
his shoulders shrug and he sets his sightless gaze in her direction. there’s a different kind of fire in his eyes now.
“
if you’d like, i can show you some of it. and we can discuss this case, of course.
”
the smooth matty murdock of his college days comes out of its lawyer shell.
one of the main reasons why she respected batman so much was because of his commitment to make gotham a better place. he knew, maybe even more then she did, of how much the city had suffered. and while it had suffered, there was also room for LIGHT to shine through. even if it took years for gotham to get to that point, she’d still stick by it.
it’s that same respect for batman that had crushed her when the ordeal with dr. light and her mind-wiping had happened. she had never expected for things to go as far as they did, but even so —- she would still do the same thing’s over again. MIND-WIPING dr. light & batman when he came across them, even doing the same to catwoman. zatanna knows she had made grave mistakes and it was something that had SHATTERED her for a while, but she had thought she was doing the right thing. she still thought that, even if she can’t look back to that without feeling utter guilt.
as she glances over at him, she’s already thinking of a few words that she can say to bruce. most of those words include her berating the BILLIONAIRE for not telling her matt murdock was one hell of a gorgeous man. as if she hasn’t already been surrounded by attractive men a quarter of her life.
❛ just let me work my magic. i can definitely make your job a tad bit easier. i’m sure i can get bruce down here by the middle of next week. maybe earlier if i empathize of how IMPORTANT it is for him to be down here. ——– just a few? i think it’s fair to say there’s double that on the good-looking guys here. ❜ oh yeah, she is an expert at the subtle flirting. but to be fair, she wasn’t focusing on being too subtle. she was sure that mr. murdock wasn’t that dense.
she gives him a small grin, nodding her head towards him. she had spoken the truth, of course —- even if there was a bit more to the reason why bruce wanted him. ❛ great! i’m sure he’ll be more than pleased to hear that. after all, i knew coming to you would be an excellent choice. ❜
there was so much pain and misery in the world - if he could do something every single day to counteract that for someone, then he was happy. there was a motivation and a reason behind daredevil, save for the fact that he occasionally actually enjoyed it; for the most part, matt saw it as a necessity. if he wasn’t going to stand up for hell’s kitchen, then who would? up until recently it wasn’t going to be any local law enforcement or political powers – so he had taken a stand, and took matters into his own hands.
he can hear her heartbeat flutter, and feel the fluctuation in her radiant body heat as she talks. he imagines she’s a bit flustered, perhaps, or reacting to his subtle flirting subconsciously - either way, he finds it slightly entertaining. she counters with her own quick quip, his polite smile now wandering to a lopsided grin. one hand moves up to draw the dark, circular glasses from his face, folding them and gently placing them on the table in front of him. its a more personal version of matt murdock, and less lawyer like - something he almost does unknowingly when he’s interested in someone, or at least something he does when he feels comfortable.
his brown eyes may be unable to see, but they’re a fairly good descriptor of his emotions (partially why the glasses stay on); they’re lit up with the same smile that’s on his face, and he points his gaze in her general direction. “ the sooner, the better miss zatara. — oh, i think we hold our own. you might find more in manhattan or brooklyn, though. hell’s kitchen is…a special place. ” he laughs softly with a shrug.
gotham could be described as a hell-hole with a significant amount of superheros and villains making residence there. that’s how most people would describe it, anyways. and yes, while zatanna can admit that the city was no city to raise a family in — she had HOPE in it. it could be salvaged, or they would die trying to save it.
speaking of the league, she does miss it. she isn’t a full member anymore, due to the last year’s incident of her mind-wiping( even if everyone seems to moved on from it, as has she … the guilt will forever stay with her ). but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t miss the family they had created there. after all, the ONLY family she has left is zachary.
❛ i don’t imagine you do. ❜ she replies, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a smile. though, it’s what he says after that makes a thoughtful hum leave her mouth. zatanna’s quickly thinking about the different thing’s she can say to try and convince bruce to get his ass down here. of course, she could just … TELEPORT him here. once again, she’s thankful for the magic running through her veins. ❛ that he does. ❜ she just …. doesn’t mention …. that he was fighting the battle as BATMAN, yup. ❛ i’m sure i can call him and get him to come down here. after all, i think the supermodels can live without him for a couple days. besides, it’s not like there’s only gorgeous women in gotham. ❜
her gaze flickers over his face for a moment, a small laugh leaving her mouth. ❛ if i can recall, mr. murdock —– you and your partner won a pretty big case not so long ago. wilson fisk, i believe? besides, gotham’s full of people who can’t be trusted. i guess bruce is hoping he can trust you. ❜
zatanna and matt had that in common, then - that there was always hope that hell could be salvaged, or at least brought to some state of normalcy. hell’s kitchen was his little slice of new york, the one piece of home he had always managed to hold on to. he would defend it until the day he died (which some days felt closer than others), no matter the cost.❜
the concept of superheros and super villains was still a strange one to matt. he never pretended to be part of that - even as daredevil - and to be frank, he didn’t necessarily want to be associated with groups like the avengers. for him, it was about doing the right thing; it was about justice, and protecting the innocent from those who would stand to take advantage of him. it wasn’t about the front of newspapers, or being on the highlight reel of the evening news - no. for matt murdock, the whole daredevil side was about keeping his home alive.’
there is the hint of a smile to the way she speaks, and he reflects the gesture. this would surely be one of those times foggy would have him for attracting beautiful women to his presence; matt didn’t need to see to know when a girl was gorgeous, and slightly dangerous. call it his m.o., but it apparently was his type.
“ it would certainly make my job easier if you could. it is late on a friday though - i’m guessing it would be best to reach out to him for a statement next week? it would also depend on how quickly your complaintent is moving along with the lawsuit. there’s a few gorgeous women around hell’s kitchen, too - i think he’ll feel right at home here. ” he surmises, dropping a somewhat subtle hint. it wasn’t often he wanted to liase with clients outside of the office, but she was technically here on behalf of one - a few drinks and small-talk couldn’t hurt.
he nodded absent mindedly as she mentioned the recent win over fisk - if only she knew about the other half, as well. “ yes, miss zatara, indeed we did. bruce most certainly can put his faith in us, and we’ll take care of this case. ”
she crosses one leg over the other, linking her fingers together over one knee. the case she was telling him about was very much real, much to her dismay. how anyone in gotham would think bruce had something to do in DESTROYING part of the city was beyond her, but then again —- there was many that wanted to bring him down. him and probably the entire league.
she wonders if he knows she’s a former member of the league. zatanna knows he’s blind ( though, she’s not going to mention it to him because she is just imagining saying something terribly wrong ), but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t know. she supposes she’ll just have to find it out eventually.
❛ no, go right ahead. i think it’d be questionable if you didn’t use a recorder to … well, record our conservation. ❜ she let’s out a small hum, coughing slightly before she continues to talk. ❛ there was a THREAT in gotham and the justice league of america was able to stop it, but unfortunately there had been some damage to the city. of course, said threat had used something from wayne enterprises to aid their attack and well, someone seems to think that bruce helped them get it. ❜
he wasn’t all that familiar with gotham - it was far away from hell’s kitchen - but it sounded like they had just as much trouble there as new york had recently had. it didn’t quite sound like the recent alien invasion and subsequent superhero craze, but there was enough similarity that he could gauge a bit further what sort of incident had occurred.
the justice league of america, too, isn’t something that had ever crossed his mind, but he committed it to memory now. was this gotham’s answer to the avengers? was she somehow a part of it? time would tell, he supposed.
“ i don’t do much writing these days, “ he chuckled, keeping his attention focused on her as she spoke. all the while, he observed her heartbeat and breathing, keeping keen senses trained on her subconscious signals. matt knew when someone was lying, and she knew more than she was letting on. he’d get there eventually, though. “ hmm. sounds like an interesting case. and i’m going to guess mr wayne also has an alibi? i’ll need a statement from him - its one thing to send a friend to discuss a legal issue, but if we’re going to prepare a proper defense i’ll need to speak with mr wayne myself. “
he paused for a moment, biting his lower lip before proceeding. “ speaking of, why nelson & murdock? i’m sure there are high-end lawyers that would be chomping at the bit to represent the head of wayne enterprises. “
she doesn’t like lying. well, not really. she can lie and she’s done it on occasion, but it doesn’t mean that she LIKES it. it’s just an necessity. but —— she’s not lying to him about the case bruce has on him. she just might … be here for more then one reason.
❛ oh, good! or well —— that also could be very bad. i guess it depends. ❜ a smile flickers across her mouth, shoulders moving up into a gentle shrug. ❛ thank you. ❜
she makes her way over to the chair, the boots she decided to wear today making a DULL sound on the floor as she moves. after making herself comfortable, and looking around for no more then a few seconds, she turns back to him. ❛ so … i’m here on behalf of BRUCE WAYNE. i’m an old friend of his, and since he’s too busy to make it here, he asked me to come instead. anyways, he’s being sued for an misunderstanding. someone seems to think his company, wayne enterprises, had a part to play in the recent destruction in gotham. which, of course, is a total lie. ❜
the thud of her boots against the old, creaky hardwood floor alerts him to her moving to take up his offer. he adjusts himself in the chair slightly, tilting his head a bit more in her direction, pulling a recorder from one of the top drawers of the desk and setting it in front of him.
Bruce Wayne – the name isn’t overly familiar to him, but he does know of Wayne Enterprises out of Gotham, so the association doesn’t need much verbiage to solidify it. he nods as Zatanna speaks, moving to press ‘start’ on the recorder.
“ you don’t mind, do you? i’m without a partner or secretary today, and this is the easiest way to record our conversation, ” that half smile dashes across his face again and he leans forward on his elbows. “ you’ll have to forgive me - what happened in Gotham? and how is the complainant asserting Mr Wayne was involved? ”
