An interview over coffee (RP for doug_ramsey)

[matt_murdock]

(Continued from emails exchanged here.)

Matt had mentioned the possibility of hiring Doug Ramsey as an intern at Nelson, Murdock, & Blake to both Foggy and Becky, and they both said they'd trust his judgement. This was partly because they'd had a ton of work lately around the office and things were piling up, and partly because, well. They did

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[doug_ramsey]

Doug jogged down the street, hoping that Al's wasn't far away. He vaguely knew the part of town, but parking had taken him ages to find, and had landed him in some back alley far from where he really wanted to be.

Maybe this wasn't going to be a really formal interview - after all, it was taking place in a coffee shop - but Doug really didn't want to be late. He didn't have any formal clothes other than the tux he had worn to Nathan Petrelli's party, but he'd pulled on clean jeans and a shirt, and hoped that would be enough. Even though he knew Mr. Murdock wouldn't be able to see what he was wearing, Doug had had enough hints from Hank to guess that the lawyer had more than a few unusual skills.

Dodging traffic as he hurried across the street, he spotted the entrance to the shop, and pushed open the door. The bell on the frame jangled a little, and he paused in the entranceway, looking around.

At a table only a little way away was a tall man with reddish-brown hair, wearing dark glasses, and appearing to read with his fingers. Doug beamed and headed over there.

"Mr. Murdock? It's Doug. Doug Ramsey."

[matt_murdock]

Since it was Saturday and he didn't have to be in court (and also since he didn't want this interview to be too formal), Matt hadn't worn a suit jacket to the diner. So, while he could of course smell denim, he wouldn't think anything of it.

He heard footsteps approaching and looked up, smiling, when Doug spoke. "Hi, Doug," he said as he stood. He kept his left hand brushing the tabletop and extended his right in Doug's direction. "Yes, I'm Matt. It's nice to meet you."

[doug_ramsey]

"It's nice to meet you, too," Doug said, and shook Matt's hand firmly. "Thanks for asking me to come... Looks like a, um, nice place."

Truthfully it didn't appear to be too nice at all, but Doug hoped that, if Matt liked it, there had to be something good under the surface.

A waitress, chewing gum and holding a notebook, came at them from the side. "What can I get you boys?"

[matt_murdock]

Matt returned Doug's firm handshake, then grinned after they'd sat down and Doug had spoken. "Trust me," he said. "The coffee's good. So's the food, if you want to get something."

When the waitress came over and asked to take their order, Doug didn't reply right away, so Matt turned to her. "I'd like a coffee, please."

[doug_ramsey]

"Uh, make that two," Doug said, deciding to trust Matt's judgement. He fiddled a little with the salt shaker. Once the waitress and her gum had disappeared, he looked up again. "So your office is right around here? Guess I thought you'd have one of those big corporate places."

[matt_murdock]

"Right down the street." Matt shook his head, smiling a little. "And, no, not at all. I mean, our space is nice, but...no. Despite our repution and the media coverage we get--and usually don't want, by the way--we're a very small firm. That's part of the reason why we are so selective about the cases we take."

He tilted his head slightly to the side. "If you were expecting a big corporate firm, no offense, but would you prefer not to proceed with this? I don't want to waste your time." He shrugged. "Though I should point out that we could offer you much more hands-on experience than a larger firm likely would."

[doug_ramsey]

"Oh, no, you're not wasting my time." Doug inwardly sighed. Had he blown this opportunity already? "I mean, I like the idea of a small firm. More personal, I guess. I just thought that with your rep and everything you'd have a big place."

"So," he asked, hoping to regroup. "What kind of hands on experience, exactly?"

[matt_murdock]

Matt nodded, smiling slightly. "Okay. Good."

He shrugged again. "Well, you would be our only intern. So, in addition to making coffee--which Foggy and Becky and I also do, by the way--we'd just want you to help out where you were needed. Filing, research, answering mail...that sort of stuff. You'd be welcome to come with us to the courthouse sometimes to observe, get an idea of how everything works."

The waitress came back with their coffees and popped her gum at them. "Would you please pass me a couple of sugars?" Matt asked when she'd left.

[doug_ramsey]

Doug was nodding away at Matt's description of his duties when he realised that, of course, Matt would just think he was being silent. "Oh, um, that sounds great," he said, and searched in the tray of various condiments for sugar. He dropped two packets into Matt's hand.

"Here you go. So, uh, do you want to know anything about me? I don't know if I'm supposed to be selling myself or something..."

[matt_murdock]

"Thank you." Matt ripped off the tops of the sugar packets and poured them into his mug as Doug spoke.

He had to smile a little at Doug's choice of phrasing. "Well, not selling yourself--that's not 'til you're in law school. And even then, it's not yourself, just your soul," he said. Despite being pretty deadpan, it was obvious that he was kidding. "But yes, why don't you tell me about yourself--useful skills, relevant experience, that sort of thing? Whatever you think I should know."

[doug_ramsey]

"Oooh." Doug frowned and tried to think of what he actually knew. "Well, I graduated from Xavier's. Maybe just surviving the school is a plus. Lots of physical training, so if your office ever gets invaded by Skrulls I can probably help out."

That was a joke. Probably.

"Um, and then there's my powers. I can translate anything you want. Speak any language. You ever get clients whose English isn't so great, I can work as an interpreter. I can understand computer languages too, so I can help with any technical problems..."

Doug smiled hopefully. "Basically I'm really eager to learn."

[matt_murdock]

Matt's lips twitched at the Skrull joke, then he took a drink of coffee and just listened. He tried hard not to look as impressed as he felt, lest the kid think getting hired was too easy.

"Wow," he said after he'd swallowed. So much for not letting on that he was impressed. "That's a terrific gift."

His eyebrows rose again as he nudged the pages he'd been reading towards Doug, curious. "Do your translation skills include Braille?"

[doug_ramsey]

Doug beamed, and reached out for the papers. "Sure. My fingers probably aren't as used to it as yours are, but I can sight-read it anyway..." He skimmed the page. "Your witness is scheduled for a deposition on the ninth, and B. is worried that she might not take the pressure." He looked up again. "And you made a note to order some new business cards from the printer."

He pushed the papers back. "I also do weddings and bar mitzvahs."

[matt_murdock]

Matt had to admit that he was definitely impressed.

He grinned at Doug's weddings-and-bar-mitzvahs quip. "Sorry," he said, meaning it even though he was fairly certain Doug was joking. "I was just curious. Didn't mean to imply that your gift is a party trick, or something. Though I can see it being very useful around the office."

He paused for a second. "But I'm not going to offer you an internship because of your ability." Matt took a drink of coffee, then raised an eyebrow, making a small gesture with his mug for emphasis. "I'm going to because I think, based on our conversation, that you'll be a good fit."

And it was true. Doug was up-front, had a sense of humor, seemed intelligent, and was willing to work hard and learn. The other stuff--Xavier's, the fact that he knew about Daredevil, his ability--that was icing on the cake. If Matt hadn't been able to stand him, the kid wouldn't have had a chance.

He shrugged a little, smiling, as he set his mug down. "So. Want a job?"

[doug_ramsey]

"Definitely," Doug said. "When do I start?"

[matt_murdock]

"We can go to the office after we're done here, if you want," Matt said. "I won't put you to work, but I can certainly show you around."