MORTALA, daredevil

13

 THE ROOFTOPS WERE ODDLY SILENT. Yulia still donned her black mask and suit as she made her way across the roofs. Her mind was clouded with repetitive thoughts and images, some of the past and some of the future. The present was never interesting for her, it was just a new version of suffering- almost like a new torture tool being chosen from the rack filled with a huge collection of weapons. Dreams about her family would occupy her mind while she slept. Dreams filled with happy memories, smiles and joyful laughter. Dreams about patching up the hot blind guy that occasionally popped in through her window-- hold on what? Why was she dreaming about him? Why was she thinking about her dreams about him? She shook her head and tried to shake the image of the shirtless vigilante with the flirtatious grin out of her head.

  Lights shone from the streets below. Cars, apartments, offices, billboards and a huge fire brought light to the sky. Bright orange flames catching the attention of engrossed onlookers. Firefighters did their best to control them, saving the civilians around them. The puddles of water on the roof tops perfectly contrasted with the heat below. Fire and water. Hot and cold. Vigilante and murderer--- okay this was getting out of hand. She needed to stop thinking about him right now.

  The open window lured her in, granting entrance to her- Julie's- house. The stench of vodka hit her. it was tempting to her right now but she wasn't going to cave into the temptation- maybe not right now- she was a borderline alcoholic at this rate, she didn't need to confirm it. She peeled the mask off her face, sweat coated the inside of the mask. Strands of hair sticking to her damp face. She moved her head to the side until she heard a crack of her neck, enjoying the instant relief she felt as tension was removed. The sound of her zipper cut through the silence of the small apartment, her hands pushing the suit off her until it fell to the ground. Now just in her underwear, she walked over to the set of drawers and slid it open. Fingers gliding over cotton shirts and trousers, finally stopping when she grabbed a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants.

  She unclipped her bra because she really could not be bothered to deal with it any longer and threw down onto the floor. The shirt quickly covered her half naked frame as she hastily put it on. Her sweatpants were next, she gently slouched over to drag them up her legs and to rest low at her hips. A tight braid was still in her hair and it was starting to bother her. The hair bobble was removed and her nimble fingers started to unbraid her hair, releasing it in loose curls.

  The suit and mask lay on the ground, crumbled up in a ball. Ultimately deciding to not leave them there, she picked them up and neatly folded them so they could fit into one of the drawers. She knew at some point 'shadow man' would show up and she couldn't let him know who she truly was. Nobody would want to know the real her, the killer, the spy, the sort of super soldier, the girl with too much unresolved trauma that could fill an entire shark tank and more. Matthew Murdock would be disgusted with her past, with her. Sure, he beat the living shit out of people until they were in a coma or disabled but he had morals. A good wee Catholic boy who has grown up in Catholic orphanage with nuns- one of them being his mother- and a priest. Yulia did a lot of research into him, it was pretty hard not to. All she had to do was go to some of her contacts and threaten some workers' families or threaten to expose some people's criminal involvement in some things and 'boom!' now she knew everything about that brunette(slightly auburn), chemical infected lawyer.

  Matthew Michael Murdock was born to Johnathan Murdock, who was deceased, and Maggie Murdock(Sister Maggie), who was alive but absent, in New York. He attended Columbia University, where he met a Elektra Natchios-his first love who tried to mess up his entire education and nearly got him kicked out before they broke up- and graduated summa cum laude. Worked as interns for Landman and Zack but quit and began their own business, Nelson and Murdock. First client was Karen Page; an ex junkie with a dead brother and mother, who then became a secretary at Union Allied Construction before being framed of the murder of Daniel Fisher, after they helped her with the case she became their office manager. Occasionally goes to church to confess to Father Lantom- Matthew wasn't really the hardest to spot in a crowd, especially when he is going the same route everyday and everybody is avoiding him like he's the plague(Yulia thought they were complete assholes). She doesn't know why and when he became the Devil of Hell's kitchen, she only knew a few rumours about when a masked man started to beat the life out of criminals. Would he find it creepy that she knew everything about him? Probably but he doesn't need to know. 

  Even though she said she wouldn't drink vodka, the more she stood alone in her house, the more she wanted it. Making her way to the kitchen part of her apartment, she grabbed one of the cheap vodka bottles and chugged a part of it down. Drinking on your own is often described as sad or lonely so it perfectly fit her. But for once she didn't want to drink alone now that she made a drinking buddy, Jessica Campbell Jones- Yulia thought she was named after the soup but after doing more digging she realised it was her mother's maiden name. So she grabbed her phone and messaged Jessica a simple invite to getting drunk and forgetting her day, "JJ, want some liquor?" 

  Not even a minute later she got a reply, "Bar or house?"

  Jessica hadn't been to her house yet- actually no one had except Matt of course- so she decided why not and invited the onyx haired woman to her small apartment to get so pissed she wouldn't even remember her abandoned mission to kill Vladimir and the masked man. "Mine, cheap vodka is at the ready."

  Yulia poured herself a glass and sat down on her sofa, waiting for Jessica to arrive. She sipped at her glass of Vodka and tried not to get too deep in her thoughts. A strong knock at the door was able to resurrect her from the whirlpool of a mind she had. Yulia sharply stood up and opened the door, revealing a messy haired Jessica who looked to be already tipsy. She stumbled into the house and immediately went towards the vodka that sat on the kitchen worktop. She grabbed another glass and filled it up to match the one Yulia was holding. The dirty blonde couldn't help but say at the sight, "You look like you had a shittier day than me and that says a lot."

  "I've had a shitty few years." Jessica said in between sips, turning around to face Yulia, "You don't look any better."

  "I've been stuck in my thoughts, they aren't very pretty." Yulia gulped down the rest of her glass and went to pour herself more.

  The black haired woman held out her glass to indicate for her to add to her cup. "Tell me about it, Miss Russian."

  Yulia looked at her, keeping her face neutral and calm. "Excuse me?"

  "I might of been extremely wasted but I can still remember you talking with a Russian accent." She gave her a stern look. "I looked you up, it says you are from Ohio. How does an Ohio born and raised girl get a Russian accent?"

  "You are a good investigator huh? Annoying little bitch as well." She spoke, saying the last part in Russian. "I grew up with Russian friends and neighbours. They basically shoved the language down my throat so sometimes I accidently start speaking it."

  Jessica tilted her head at her words, a slight smirk painted itself on her face. She seemed suspicious at Yulia's cover up but decided it seemed logical enough. "Let me guess, you called me an asshole in Russian?"

  "A bitch actually but close enough." Her thick Russian accent audible as she replied. "You can't tell anybody though or I'll cut off all your fingers and toes and shove them so far up your ass you will have to cough them out like a hairball." Giving her a quick, taunting smile in return.

  The onyx haired woman's smirk only grew as she took her threat into consideration. "Fine, as long as you keep the alcohol coming."

  Yulia nodded and grabbed the vodka bottle, moving to sit back down on the sofa, Jessica following close behind her. They both sat and shared the bottle between them. Then another bottle after the other until they were so drunk they didn't even notice the dark figure that appeared in her window, watching Yulia as she animatedly flung her hands around to explain a wild story about how she threw a guy out through a bathroom window by his ankles because he said she had a nice ass.