the black sky

indie elektra natchios based on Netflix's Daredevil Est. 2018

[youweremythtaken]

When Elektra hits her with the word group, Buffy’s eyes do an automatic loop toward the dusty ceiling. The Scoobies are many things, but a sleek, efficient tactical unit in 1940s New York is definitely not on the brochure. "Group makes us sound like a bowling league," She steps closer, casually leaning an elbow on a nearby shelf, totally unfazed by the ominous-looking shrunken head that's currently violating her personal space bubble. "Or a choir. We're definitely not a choir. Too many cracked notes and way too much shouting."

"But yeah. Difficult is one word for it. Usually it involves a lot of research, a total deficit of patience, and a guy named Giles making faces like he’s personally offended by the concept of fun. But we manage. Most of the time." She tilts her head, shifting her weight as she lets her gaze trail from the cheap saint statues back to Elektra. There’s a natural, easy curiosity in her expression. Not the suspicious, identity-checking vibe of an interrogator, "Which brings me to you," Buffy adds, her tone perfectly casual, conversational. "What's your story? I see you and Faith are all buddy-buddy, and Faith isn't exactly the type to just hand out a VIP pass to her inner circle. How'd you guys meet?"

[gloriousxdarkness]

That sounds less intimidating than the tone she remembers Buffy using on that... her mind evades the word, still. Hard to believe it even after seeing with her own eyes. But the days recovering afterwards, the bruises and mild concussion, were undeniable.

That aggressive, future column of dust.

She continues browsing a step down the aisle. There's plenty to peruse, at least. About half a dozen icons of St. George look up at her from a low shelf, mounted on his white horse, slaying the dragon. She wonders, briefly, what Matt would think of feast days.

"Oh, just a party," Elektra replies with easy promptness, putting one icon back down. Zero carat gold. "Something my cousin knew about when I was first settling in."

"Faith's impressive," she continues, as if it's simply true. More observation than compliment. Elektra glances at the skull, then Buffy. "It's rare to meet women like that in this city." Light, but measured. "It's something of a gentlemen's club, where I've trained. And the girls at Barnard wouldn't quite know what to make of that."

[gloriousxdarkness]

continued from (x) ¦ @youweremythtaken

Elektra hides a smirky smile at Buffy's only too-accurate assessment, turning her face towards a crowded assortment of talismans and cheap saint statues. Her fingers brush noncommittally along strings of beads as she steps slowly down a tight aisle. The faded sign outside the shop advertises curiosities, charms, spiritual supplies...

Harlem is certainly close enough to Columbia to pass this run-in off as pure happenstance, in her opinion.

"Is that what you call it, keeping the sky from falling?" The smile lingers when she looks over, because Buffy's swing dance suggestion actually sounds rather fun. "Difficult work, even with your 'group'?"

[elodieyungarchive]

[thatslayer]

"You sure you got stood up? I mean, maybe he just didn't see you there." Ugh, gross Faith, but she's grinning like it's some kind of peace offering. Faith stands aside, offering entrance to that dingey little coldwater flat on the fourth floor with a view of asscrack. It's clean, at least, and minimalist to an extreme that even Hemmingway would find fucking weird. There is one glaring thing missing, though, and her home being so damn bare makes it clear when something's gone --- anything, anything, to ever suggest Faith knew Steve Rogers. Not that there was ever much. Faith's not in the habit of mushing her life around for a man.

She seems fine, somehow. It hasn't been long since she was a raving lunatic hell-bent on smashing the local undead into dog chow, and now she's wearing a smirk like nothing happened. "You wanna tell me about it? Where is Mr. Wonderful tonight?" Because she can't imagine Matt just left Elektra hanging, but oh, she doesn't know Matt very well. Faith takes something out of Elektra's arms so she doesn't have to carry everything, moving to set it on the little coffee table in liu of having any sort of real table in the place. "You brought records, that can't be good - what kinda jazz do you guys listen to in Greece?"

She moves to the white wardrobe against the wall and opens it up to get at her tiny, beat-up record player, but something else is on display when she opens it - on the inside of the door hangs her camera, where it always is, but the back of the door is otherwise blank. No pictures, no mementos from days at the park, nights at the automat, skating, bikes, Coney Island. Nothing save a red velvet ribbon with gold lettering that's turned just enough to be unreadable.

[gloriousxdarkness]

She takes the olive branch with a small laugh and unloads the chow mein into Faith's arms. "Oh, you know. New semester. He's trying to behave himself, before that all goes sideways." Elektra wouldn't say she doesn't care about Matt's education. She wouldn't say that. It only probably won't be that relevant in the near future, and if she's having an adverse impact on his attendance, well, c'est la vie.

Her eyes flick around the very tidy apartment and follow Faith to the bare wardrobe door. "The same kind you do," she retorts, staying blithe and easy. "Just imported." Elektra leans the bag of records on the threshold to Faith's room, and focuses on sorting the food and drinks.

"Been busy?"

[demonzoro]

love a character that's like. i survived (<- not a brag) (<- this is a curse that weighs on me every waking hour)

[thatslayer]

Faith's eyes bead, narrow, at the suggestion that it's on her if someone gets hurt. Oh, Elektra. Here we fucking go again. She's just glad Bruce has kept his cool, being that he can hear everything they're saying --- her com's never off, these days. Husband's never far. Not with a child on her hip. Her little miracle, all ego, all big brain, braun that shouldn't be allowed in someone so small. Someone with a temper. Someone with rage. Rage he comes by, honestly. Now that he's here, strong and smart and angry, a weapon, Faith knows Elektra was right, but there's nothing left in her that cares enough to say so. Whatever's rigid in Faith, Rip doesn't seem to notice. He's not paying either of them any mind.

But there are other things, right now. And Faith's brow stays high for someone whose countenance is so quietly hostile. "That a fact? Why don't we cut the crap, here. Quit the stoic-ass guilt trip, okay? What do I gotta do? If it doesn't sound felt up, I might do it. But I get somethin' for this, or it's zero dice."

[gloriousxdarkness]

Elektra blinks and her head pulls back slightly. That was indeed a fact. Being here is a matter of expediency, though it's looking less and less to Elektra like even an echo of trust remains between them. Still, she's not interested in escalating these petty misunderstandings, especially when that didn't sound like a no.

"Just what I said. I need a location trace. Nikolaia Varvakis." She ventures a step forward, looking down to briefly pull an item out of her pocket. Stopping beyond arm's length, she holds it out to Faith. A sealed plastic bag with a bloodied piece of fabric within. "And analyses on this." She doesn't doubt Bruce's ability, just whether Faith will put it in his hands. Her voice remains even. Objective. "Something is wrong with her."

[marveldaily]

Daredevil Regrets Only | 2.06

[gloriousxdarkness]

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU // accepting // @2econdlead sent (for Matt) — i ask, you answer. that's how this works.

Everything is where it should be. No alarms going off, no overturned chairs, no plaster broken by gunfire. Even the guards are still at their posts. They're just not alive.

Two at the entrance, two at the back, three on patrols, and one on the roof. There's been no hesitation in these attacks, no wasted motion, no anger behind the precise strikes. This place has been solved like a puzzle, and solved in just the same way Elektra would have done, had it been her task.

She walks each room expecting and meeting no one until she sees the body. A small part of her considered he might simply have been extracted for questioning, but no. Marco Derveni, the protected witness, the latest in a chain of killings that look exactly like this. Like her.

The air shifts behind her before the thought fully forms, enough to know that the safehouse is no longer empty.

She turns and dodges Matt’s strike before it lands, but in the breath of surprise at his presence, she doesn’t escape the tackling grapple that follows, nor the binding of his billyclub cable as it locks around her and anchors her to a metal support beam at the ceiling.

His breath is hot with familiar, heart-racing anger, and Elektra bares her teeth right back at him. "Matthew—"

"I ask, you answer. That's how this works."

Interrogation. She'd laugh if the lives of four people, including a journalist from a staged overdose, hadn't led her to this location to discover the fifth.

The cable bites into her skin as she tests its strength. "Then ask."

[gloriousxdarkness]

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU // accepting // @altarbov sent — i keep trying to fix it, but people keep getting hurt.

She braces in silence for a moment. Why must he expose a wound to her, asking for something he knows she is not equipped to give? It leaves too much room for easy cruelty, if she chose, when he must know her view on this by now.

Knowing his, too, she steps into his space, keeping her voice low and quiet. “What do you want to do, Matthew?”

[gloriousxdarkness]

THE MUMMY (1999) // accepting // @vigilantebullshit sent — ❝ compared to you, the other plagues were a joy. ❞

The tripped security system lights up every floor of the building like Christmas, the persistent high-pitched blares still echoing in Elektra’s ears. Escaped, but barely, and only after bypassing the auto-lock features on the doors by breaking glass and taking a six-story free fall onto an unsuspecting vehicle below.

Elektra lands on the trunk, absorbing the impact with control. She rises up from bended knee and takes in her battered partner.

❝ compared to you, the other plagues were a joy. ❞

She notes the complaint about the chaos but weighs it against their goal being met. "You've handled worse." She hops off the trunk like a springboard and starts moving. "We need distance."

[ohisms]

✱ ˚｡⋆ ↪ 𝐖HAT 𝐃OESN'T 𝐊ILL 𝐘OU ... ( a collection of dialogue prompts originating from supermassive's 2022 game the quarry, PART 2. adjust phrasing / gendered terms as necessary, mature themes present. )

just don't hurt me, please!!

oh, jesus christ, what the fuck are you doing?!

shhh ... quiet.

it was horrible ... it was ... i don't even know what it was.

try drawing. can you draw what attacked you?

[ NAME ], hey, can you tell me what happened?

what kind of fucking animal does this?

we should cut it off before the infection spreads.

do i look like a doctor?

i don't remember much, i don't even know what i saw.

i've got a gun! and i know how to use it! ... sort of.

i need this, it's not safe out there.

are you trying to piss me off?

when i was little, i used to think islands would just, like ... float.

you don't mind that we're talking about it, right?

why is it up to me to justify my feelings?

do i take the high road and forget about it?

this is actually kind of fun.

now that i'm by myself, i kind of like it.

nothing personal, it's ... a me thing. we're cool, right?

that's the summer camp experience right there.

i couldn't find anything to eat, the kitchen's pretty cleared out.

fuck, i don't even know what happened.

i'm okay... i'll be okay, thanks to you.

no, i just helped a little.

you're here with me. that helps.

uh, what happened to the lights?

we're holding down the fort.

did anybody else hear that?

stay here, i'll check it out.

is this the last time we're gonna see each other?

i'm sorry, [ NAME ], i'm just distracted.

maybe i was just misreading the situation back there...

of course i wanted it to happen, i just didn't know if you did, too.

you're just saying that because i'm hurt.

we have to hide ... we have to hide!

jesus, where's the gun?

technology ... it giveth and it taketh.

i'm sorry if it's not up to your standards, but i've been putting in some TLC.

how do you even know all this stuff?

technical stuff has always been hard for me to get a handle on.

if you'd like, i could show you the ropes.

i'm gonna keep an eye out.

we can't be sure they were talking about us.

but that's not ... that's not possible, right?

what is this?! make it stop, make it stop!

god's sake, tonight sucks ass.

[ NAME ], is that you?!

well, that bodes ill. fucking hell.

oh my god, no way — am i glad to see you!

you left me back there, you asshole!

what the fuck is going on?

sorry, i'm just ... i'm glad you're okay.

you don't have to be a dick about literally everything.

you're right, i'm sorry.

ugh, you're so annoying.

okay, can we please not do this right now?!

quit moving so much!

i mean, it's not bleeding, but you need to see a doctor.

we need to be keeping a record of everything. for the police.

i have a funny feeling the cops aren't gonna want to believe us.

this isn't you ... this isn't you!

where the fuck is everyone?

you were defending yourself.

i need your help. please.

i'm not. killing. "people"!

i'm gonna open the door, slowly.

i ask, you answer. that's how this works.

fine. what do you wanna know?

you have no idea what's going on here. not a goddamn clue.

you just stepped in some grade A, double prime, cosmic type shit.

your only option is to buckle the fuck up and do what i say.

please stop trying to intimidate me and tell me what the fuck is going on.

i feel like i'm going crazy!

i'm kind of all mixed up, but more or less in-tact i think.

there's blood and ... stuff ... everywhere.

i feel like i remember bits and pieces but none of it makes sense.

who does this guy think he is?

i'm not going anywhere, we can talk right here.

you have nothing to bargain with.

can't break old [ NAME ]. many have tried, many have failed.

i'm being serious, [ NAME ].

last night feels like a lifetime ago.

what the fuck does that mean, though? were we set up?

well, how do you know how kidnappers act?

i'm just trying to get us out of here.

what if we can't make sense of it?

sometimes things just don't make sense. what then?

this isn't forever, [ NAME ].

you've got to stay positive, you can't think like that.

you were poking around in my stuff?

i can't believe you didn't tell me.

we've been making plans, [ NAME ], what the fuck?

i'm sorry, [ NAME ], this really sucks.

i'm sorry. i shouldn't have kept it from you.

you know you can talk to me about anything, right?

okay, let's just focus on getting out of here for now.

yeah, that was really sketchy.

i'm surprised you're not more messed up.

i don't have a scratch on me.

i'm just saying there's a slight chance it was a werewolf.

are you out of your goddamn mind?

you got anything better? zombies? aliens?

interrupt me again, you're on your own.

would it really be so crazy with all the shit we've been seeing?

i'm just trying to keep an open mind.

those are just campfire stories.

there's more to all this than you think.

just let me finish, then you can decide if you believe me or not.

the next few weeks were long.

that's really not very helpful, [ NAME ].

okay, okay, just- one problem at a time.

just interested is all. feel like i hardly know you.

no reason we can't be buds, right?

you don't know the half of it.

you're not gonna believe it until you see it for yourself.

don't get too close.

don't worry, [ NAME ], i'm here.

i just don't feel so good.

what do you need? what can i do to help?

just stay back, okay? you shouldn't be this close.

whoever was wearing this can't be doing too well.

you want to tell me what happened?

why didn't you run?

this doesn't mean i trust you.

i'm too tired to argue.

i'll brew some coffee.

you know... just because you know, doesn't mean you know.

this isn't what it seems to be.

you're gonna have to be more specific.

you're in just as much trouble as i am.

my family? we didn't mean to hurt anybody.

we're just trying to survive like anybody else.

we're gonna end this thing once and for all.

family is the most important thing in the world.

starting to get the picture?

it's not a lot to go on. and frankly, it's shit.

seems pretty straightforward to me.

if you can kill a werewolf, and that's a big if.

that's where i'm hoping you'll come in.

you're the best option i've got.

maybe it doesn't matter.

take some time to think about all this. i'll be back in the morning.

seen enough yet?

we should be careful of anything that fucker says.

we're gonna fix it on our own.

it wasn't you. i know it wasn't you.

we're gonna fix you, [ NAME ], i promise.

goddammit, [ NAME ], what are we gonna do now?

what happened to "we're all in this together"?

god, it's so obvious.

i thought i heard someone ... i - i still can.

it's coming from behind that door.

we're one step closer to going home.

that's it ... that's the story.

what's that supposed to mean?

don't make me spell it out for you.

all i know is i have to do this.

so this is our new guest...

dumb fuckin' animal.

get your hands off me! let me go!

i didn't mean for this to happen!

is it money that you want?

please just let me go, i'm so sorry!

say what you've gotta say.

[ NAME ], don't you think this is a bit much?

this isn't a ghost story, it's a creature feature – it's really happening.

worst case scenario, this should give you a fighting chance.

put that fucking thing down before you hurt someone.

i don't care what you think.

how well do you know [ NAME ]?

i don't think anybody 'knows' anybody. not really.

if i let my conscience slow me down, everything gets a lot worse for everyone.

shit ... we haven't got much time.

so, what's your deal, then?

so, i don't fit in the right box – is that what you're saying?

the most responsible thing is to try and get help.

this whole time we were having such a fun summer.

the engine's completely screwed.

if i could summon a working car out of thin air, i would.

now i know you've got a screw loose.

did you get bitten?

get away. get away from me!

i wish i could take it all back, but i can't.

"taken care of the problem", do you hear yourself?

don't you go around like you're better than everyone else.

don't you tell me what to do, you piece of shit.

we're gonna be laughing about this in a few years.

it's motion activated ... i think.

i guess we just make ourselves at home.

i guess i just don't like to see other people sad.

well ... fuck this night, huh?

c'mon, i wanna hear you say it.

i sure as hell can make you suffer.

i keep trying to fix it, but people keep getting hurt.

i shouldn't have let you come.

try not to make so much noise.

are we going to end up in a documentary?

i used to be pretty good at the claw game at the local arcade.

just, uh ... watch my back, yeah?

hurry the fuck up!

so much for our brilliant escape plan.

it's better than being out in the open. come on.

i don't want to be waiting around.

we need protection. go see what you can find.

i'm feeling pretty good, actually.

what are you doing? ... stop that.

i'm done being chased.

this is proof we're on the right track. stay close.

thanks .. for uh, not killing me.

you think this is over? this isn't over.

okay ... okay, it makes sense. it all makes sense.

help me. we can help those who are still alive.

in what world would i wanna help you?

you go by yourself, you're gonna die out there.

this doesn't mean i forgive you for what you did to me.

can someone please get me some fucking clothes?

where the hell are we?

we definitely should've gone to the motel.

the night's not over yet.

we gotta get a vantage, come on.

we have enough on our plates already, stop discovering shit.

showtime, motherfuckers.

fuck this whole night.

should we go find the others?

we're safer here, and it's nearly morning.

let's go, let's go, let's go!

what happened in the past doesn't matter right now.

we need to know what we're up against, at least.

what we're up against is my one chance to end this for good.

[ NAME ], wake up!

where did it go? it can't have just disappeared.

over here ... got some blood. leads through there.

what the hell happened here?

we could be killed. you ready to end this?

let's fucking do this.

you've been through a lot more than i have.

if anyone deserves to survive, it's you.

really? you're still hiding stuff now?

every full moon for years.

please, let's just ... go.

i bet you think you're fucking clever.

i tried to help you. i tried to warn you.

i even started to like you.

i won't forget what you did.

now i will never leave you.

[thatslayer]

Rip, ever the little asshole, gives up on Elektra and leans all the way back like he doesn't give a fat shit if he falls. He's preoccupied with the sky, swaying in a way that used to scare the bejesus out of Faith, now she just knows to hold onto him a little tighter and let him kinda do what he wants so he doesn't start main-character-ing the conversation like she knows he's capable of. She doesn't even seem to be paying him any mind, which must look odd to someone seeing her parenting style for the first time.

Rip manages to sit back up, but not without difficulty. He tries to put his arms around Faith's neck and bubble, "Mamamamama!" against the side of her head, because why is this lady getting all the attention when there's an adorable child who's in desperate need of alllll the focus in the room? Faith barely looks over at him and, quietly, but firmly, "Hey. I'm talkin'." to which Rip, detached as hell and too busy looking at the sky, again, answers, "Oh." and goes back to doing whatever. Getting his little hands in Faith's dark green hair.

She casually reaches up to detangle his hands, but her focus is all on Elektra. "Yeah, yeah. Don't gimme no look like, 'oh, I would never stab a bitch', okay? It's you we're talkin' about, here. I want some assurance that if I help you, nobody innocent's gonna die for whatever the fuck crusade you're on."

[gloriousxdarkness]

This time her gaze doesn't waver, flat and fixed as stone on Faith despite the restless child. It's you we're talking about here. Her eyes lower in an apparent moment of contemplation at this phrase then flick up again.

Her head gives an almost imperceptible shake. "Not by my hand." Elektra keeps her voice calm and direct, but it carries impatience, as if Faith should hurry up getting assured so they can move on. "But some might if you don't help me."

[thatslayer]

Rip's Faith's kid. It's obvious by the way he's clearly unfussed by someone new, eyes locked on Elektra because she's input for his growing brain. If he were closer, he'd sure as hell be trying to get 'uppies' and meet this new super person in a long line of super people he's too young, and too arrogant to know he should be afraid of. Almost two. That's how long it's been, and then some, since Faith or Elektra shared a meal or a patrol or a kind word. Almost two years old.

Faith clocks Elektra's eyes on her son and her own eyes narrow but she doesn't voice it. Both of Rip's little arms go up, and he pops out, "Yo!" in a way that gets Faith's attention for a moment. Her eyes flick to him and he catches a subtle smirk before she's easing back into shop talk, holding him a little tighter.

"So, what'd this chick do that got you on her tail? What happens if you get the intel, here?"

[gloriousxdarkness]

Her eyes flick again to the boy at the same moment as Faith's, and her weight shifts back slightly. It's almost startling, how real he is— to see him move suddenly, to hear him make noises.

She looks back at Faith and catches a glimpse of her happiness. At least there's that. At least some good in the time away.

Her jaw works, briefly, reluctance passing as quickly as it comes. "I'm not after her. I made sure the attempt failed. But it won't be the last." A timer ticks down in her mind. "Are you willing to help, or not?"

[notbuckybarnes]

CHARLIE COX Daredevil: Born Again 2.03 "The Scales & the Sword"

[gloriousxdarkness]

THE MUMMY (1999) // accepting // @littlebennettbitch sent — ❝ i only gamble with my life, never my money. ❞

Elektra waits outside Bonnie's school, by Bonnie's car, as the bell rings and students stream out. While the parking lot slowly empties, long after busses have pulled away. Just like she did yesterday, observing and clocking minutes from a greater distance.

A couple years ago, their last communication feels equally distant from Elektra and just as one-sided. An envelope full of cash and a single note.

Going away for a while. Put it all back. -E P.S. Take care of Shadow.

She waits for Bonnie to exit the school, to cross the road unaware, and to slow on meeting her eyes across the way. Waits for her to close the distance.

"Still teaching, I see."

"I only gamble with my life, never my money."

A measured pause, eye contact unbroken. "I remember." Elektra steps forward a pace, still between Bonnie and her car. "You and I have some unfinished business. Or is it done?"

[thatslayer]

"Oh really?" Faith turns just enough to keep Rip on her hip and as far away from Elektra as is possible without physically walking away --- which she pretty much should, she thinks, because who knows what this woman's actually capable of. But Faith's nothing if not an asshole in a girl suit, and she doesn't even take a step back out of sheer bullshittery. "Figures. I need more than that. Who's the target? And why, because I'm sure as shit not gonna hand you intel on somebody without knowin' if they deserve it."

[gloriousxdarkness]

The shift away is taken for what it is, even as Elektra's eyes flick to the child and linger. There he was— the exposed beating heart of two immensely powerful people. A soft target. Briefly, though, in the same turn Faith evokes the image of a mother bear, claws at the ready.

At the questions, a faint heat surfaces under Elektra's cheekbones. A familiar one, beckoning her to bristle.

She doesn't. Not today.

"A foreign dignitary from Piraeus. Nikolaia Varvakis. She's somewhere in the city under federal protection after a failed attempt on her life three months ago."

[gloriousxdarkness]

THE MUMMY (1999) // accepting // @thatslayer sent — "Ugh, Natchios. I'm really not in the mood for you."

That goes down her throat like a tiny glass bead, gone in a blink. It would seem time doesn't heal all wounds. Not that it ever had.

She understands.

"Good. Then we won't be wasting time." Her weight shifts with an intake of breath and she feels the tension in her chest fracture, air moving through the cracks. "I need something. A location tracer on a person of interest." The request hangs for a moment, then she continues. As if this is straightforward. "And lab analyses on a sample I brought back."