Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Nyah exited the cool interior of her Uber ride into the sultry early summer heat outside her new home in Hell's Kitchen. She looked up at the aged brick building and felt every bit of the weariness that had settled into her bones over the last few months. Her attention was momentarily diverted as the driver deposited her lone suitcase on the sidewalk by her feet. She paid him via the app on her phone and waited as he departed, before picking up her suitcase and walking up to the entrance of the building. She pushed open the door, no fancy secure entrance for this building, and eyed the ancient elevator before opting for the stairs to her right.
On the fourth landing, she nearly paused to allow another tenant to exit his apartment, a long white and red cane grasped in his hand as he shut and locked his door. When he turned away from the door, she noticed he was dressed in a worn brown suit, with old, scuffed shoes, and wore red tinted glasses.
She hesitated to make her presence known and to simply stand silently aside until he passed, but with him living in the same building as her, it was inevitable that they would meet. She decided to get it over with. “Good morning,” she greeted him, letting him know there was someone on the landing with him.
He tilted his head slightly, “Good morning,” he paused with a slight frown, “I don't believe I know you.” He made it sound like a question.
“I'm a new tenant, “she answered. “Nyah Song.”
“Matt Murdock,” he said and extended his hand to her.
She stepped forward to give it a quick shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“You bought the top two floors?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“Big family?”
“Pardon me?”
“Do you have a big family? To need so much space?” he clarified.
She gave an uneasy laugh. “No, I just have a lot of stuff,” she lied.
He nodded as if it made perfect sense. They stood in awkward silence for a moment before he said “well, I've got to go to work. Welcome to Hell's Kitchen, Nyah.”
“Thank you, Matt. I'm sure I will see you around.” She stepped aside to allow him to pass, his cane tapping out a rhythm on the stairs as he descended. Finding a blind man living in the same building was an unwelcome discovery. As tired and depressed as she was feeling, he was just another unpleasant reminder of her past that she was unable to escape.
With a sigh, she continued up the stairs to the next floor and the entrance to her new home.
****
Matt had heard her coming up the stairs and, since he didn't recognize her steps, assumed she was the new tenant living above him. He knew that someone had purchased the top two floors of the building a few months ago and had suffered through the noise of the renovations that had been going on ever since. Luckily, most of the work took place during the day while he was at the office or court, but the last two weeks, work had continued into the evenings and had been jarringly distracting. His only moments of peace in his apartment had been the early morning hours before daylight.
Three days ago, two moving trucks had arrived and brought in furniture and boxes pending the arrival of the new owner. He had been surprised at how few belongings had been moved in compared to the shear amount of square footage of the space. He had secretly been dreading the arrival of a big, boisterous family that would drive him mad with constant noise.
He had not expected the small woman he encountered out on the landing. Even after climbing up four flights of stairs, her heartbeat was slow and steady, her breathing deep and even. She had smelled clean and fresh, with just a light scent of sweat and a hint of a soft floral perfume, her suitcase smelled far worse, presumably from being handled by multiple people during her trip here. At first, he was sure she was going to stay pressed up against the wall and silently let him pass her by, but then she had announced herself with a soft, pleasant voice.
He was curious why she had lied about why she needed so much space and why he was unable to detect her lie. Her heartbeat never deviated from its slow, steady rhythm and she didn't display any of the other physical signs of lying. Right now, though, he had other concerns. He was due in court in less than an hour and needed to meet Foggy at the office first. This mysterious new neighbor was someone that would have to wait for another time.
****
Nyah stood in the middle of her new living room and looked around at the boxes scattered haphazardly about. She had taken care to label everything by the room it belonged in, but the movers had chosen to ignore them. She moved several before she found the ones for her bedroom and began to unpack them.
She didn't have a lot of material belongings, she moved around too often to be weighed down by them. The few things she did have had deep, personal meaning to her and warranted being carted from one side of the globe to the other. There was the added benefit of being able to unpack quickly and she was almost done by early afternoon.
She was tired and hungry, so she decided to leave off and find a place to eat and maybe explore the neighborhood a bit. In actuality, she was postponing the last of her unpacking; that was always the most painful part of the process. The soul draining weariness that had gripped her for the last few months was almost a physical pain at this point, and the last room would only compound that pain. Maybe exploring the neighborhood would distract her somewhat. A quick search on her phone showed her there was a diner with decent reviews just two blocks away, so she grabbed her purse and headed out.
Outside it was bright and hot, and she was thankful to have changed into a pair of loose linen pants, a tank top, and a flowing shear silk kimono. As she walked past a small grocer, she made a mental note to stop on her way back and pick up a few necessities.
Pausing to glance at the display of a clothing shop, she noticed a familiar figure walking towards her. Matt's white cane was tapping out its tune on the uneven sidewalk while he appeared to listen avidly to his companion. Nyah didn't feel like another awkward conversation with her new neighbor, so she ducked into the store to wait for them to pass.
Inside, she browsed a bit and purchased two tops that had caught her eye as she passed. Through the shop window, she watched as the pair passed. Matt seemed to pause and tilt his head to listen as he drew even with where she stood inside.
“Just go,” she muttered irritably.
As if hearing her, he frowned and then continued, following the blond guy, who had not stopped talking. After they passed, she left the shop and continued towards the diner.
After a rather good meal at the diner and a quick stop at the grocer, Nyah returned to her apartment. She unhurriedly put away her purchases, delaying for as long as possible. Finally, with no further excuses readily available, she gathered the supplies she would need and went down the stairs to the first floor of her apartment.
This part of the apartment had received the most changes during the renovations, having all the walls knocked down, leaving just the supporting columns, and making the space one big open area. Bamboo flooring the color of dark honey had been installed as well as matching paneling along the walls. The multiple floor to ceiling windows had been coated with a reflective film that allowed her to see out but prevented anyone from seeing in.
Along the north wall was a small dais, with an ornate cabinet and a single moving box place on it. The cabinet was mahogany with inlays of carved jade depicting a temple atop a mountain. Nyah moved the box out of the way and using a tape measure, re positioned the cabinet in the exact center of the space. Once she was satisfied with the placement, she carefully cleaned and dusted the beautiful piece of furniture.
Then she turned her attention to the box. From it she withdrew a vase for incense and a black lacquered stand for a sword. These she arranged precisely on the top of the cabinet. A trip to her room upstairs and she returned with the three items that were the sole purpose of her shrine; a long sword with a simple leather-wrapped hilt, worn smooth from use; a scroll, yellowed with age; and a jade urn. She placed the sword on the stand and the other two items in front of it. The rest of the contents of the box, incense sticks, polishing clothes, and a oils for the sword, were stored inside the cabinet. Then she carried the box upstairs to be disposed of later.
Back down at her interpretation of a shrine, she lit the incense. Somehow, going through the ritual made her feel less worn, although she still felt weighted down with loneliness and depression, but it was still an improvement. The shrine made her new home seem complete, more welcoming.
Continuing her ritual, she sat in the lotus position in front of the shrine and meditated to clear her mind of all the negative thoughts she was having. Focusing on her breathing, she let the peace of the room sink into her body. She inhaled the slightly acrid scent of the sandalwood incense, and allowed the sounds drifting up from the streets below to fade into the background.
An hour later, feeling renewed, she stood and stretched a bit before assuming the opening stance of T'ai chi ch'üan, or Tai Chi as it was more commonly known, and began going through the movements. She started with the ancient forms originally taught to adherents a thousand years ago, then added more and more modern forms. Her movements were slow and precisely controlled with the intent of flowing like water over a smooth stone. The world faded away until all that remained was the purity of the motions.
For almost two hours, she repeated the forms over and over, until her body was covered with a thin sheen of sweat despite the air conditioning and her thighs shook from the continued strain. Only then did she perform the move to return Qi to the earth and still her movements. Drawing a deep breath, she sat down in front of the shrine.
“Oh, Lei,” she breathed, addressing the urn of ashes in her native language of Mongolian, “here we are, Beloved, another city, another new beginning.”
She sighed heavily and lay back, savoring the feeling of the cool floor. “Sometimes I envy you, waiting in the afterlife for me to join you, while I continue on year after year.” She raised her hand over her face and made a graceful movement. “When we were together, I always felt as though I could soar like an eagle on the wind.” She allowed her hand to flop back to the floor beside her. “Now I can barely crawl like a worm in the mud.”
She turned her head to gaze at the shrine. “I am tired, Beloved, so tired.”
A lone tear escaped her welling eyes and trickled down her cheek to drop onto the floor by her head.
“I miss you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. She turned and curled up on her side, drawing her knees to her chest and hugging them. Tear fell freely as she sobbed until she had no more and she fell into an exhausted sleep where she lay.