(no subject)
[23:20] edsidlemirth: Eddie doesn't head right to the place he's staying, once all this is done. He wants to be absolutely certain none of the Joker's people are following him out of there. Keeping Geoffrey safe is still important, though it does really seem that the risk is, for now, eliminated, and that is a huge relief. Eddie has little safe spots and whatnot, throughout the city. This one is just a storage unit, and he's in here, going through a few boxes, now, old stuff that he's managed to hold onto from before the first time he got arrested.
[23:41] knight_so_dark: He could have texted him. Could have called him, and had the conversation over the phone. Could have called him, and arranged a meeting-place. None of those would have the same impact as this, though. None of them would make the same point to Nigma as this, as tracking him down to this storage unit (and the ordeal that was... well, he needs some secrets, you know), and knocking -- rap-rap-rap-rap, rap-rap. He's in plainclothes, bulky gloves tucked into his hoodie.
[23:43] edsidlemirth: Eddie tenses, hesitates a moment, then stands up by the pulled-down garage door of the unit. "Here's a knocking, indeed... Who's there?"
[23:49] knight_so_dark: "If a man were porter of Hell Gate..." he continues the quote, calmly. Really, if anyone has to consider himself as tasked with that job, it should be him.
[23:51] edsidlemirth: Eddie pulls open the door, satisfied with that, and smiles, neither sheepish nor smug.
[00:01] knight_so_dark: He smiles back, faint and tired. The smile is just politeness, the tiredness real. In all of this, there's less of an act than he wishes there was. Fake is easy. "We need to talk."
[00:06] edsidlemirth: "Sure," he says, and pulls the door shut. Rattlerattlerattleslam! He turns back to face the little room, and its ordered stack of boxes. "You're going to talk to me about Arkham. Unless Dr. McCoy exploded on your way out of there, in which case I doubt you'd smile... he's out of there, completely, now, right?"
[00:17] knight_so_dark: "Mmn." An affirmative sort of noise, and a short nod. "I left him to the police. Quinzel got away."
[00:20] edsidlemirth: He mms, too. "That's unfortunate. Do you have any lead on her? You came after me, instead..."
[00:40] knight_so_dark: "You're a higher priority." He plunges onward. To the reason why he came in civvies, the reason why he's talking to him instead of just attacking him. "This doesn't have to end badly."
[00:43] edsidlemirth: "I've been helping you, and I'm a higher priority? It doesn't have to end any way. I'll stay out and I'll track down Quinzel, too."
[00:54] knight_so_dark: That's not how he meant it. God damn it... no. Don't dwell. Don't get upset. Move on. "You're still a fugitive. Even if I --" allow you to... no, bad wording, "don't act against you, you're still going to have to hide from the police. Skulk in the shadows. Be limited in where you go, and what you do..."
[00:58] edsidlemirth: "My record will show that I am, in fact, rather good at evading the police -and- escaping custody." A scowl is developing. He does not so much like where this conversation is going. "And any concessions I need to make to hiding from the law are a far cry better than the limitations of being in a cell."
[01:22] knight_so_dark: "But if you withstand the limitations of being in a cell, for a time, you can leave it without having to make those concessions anymore." He's losing ground, here. He keeps talking, more rushed. More honest. "Your help was invaluable in finding Dr. McCoy, and putting the Joker away again. I wouldn't -- be averse to continuing that relationship." Though he stumbles, mid-sentence, it's not a lie. He's useful, Nigma is, and it has been a pleasure to converse with someone on the same intellectual level as him. "But there are police I work with, and I can't keep a fugitive from them, and expect to be tolerated myself. Your record shows you can break out of Arkham with no effort at all. No challenge. But you know the ratio of escapes to legitimate releases in maximum security...?"
[01:37] edsidlemirth: "If upon examination it appears near impossible, then yes, it would be an appropriate challenge." It is not one he is happy with. The scowl softens a bit, but he's still frowning, and he shoves his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting. "For all any of us know, this could be my last chance to -do anything-, and that can't be predicted. In my time there, Jervis is the only one of us who walked out the front door, and that's because he just needed the time to go back on his meds. I'm not psychotic. A pill can't fix me. There's a serious possibility I don't make it out of there, and then what do I have to show for anything?"
[02:31] knight_so_dark: "You'd have what you've already done, and the name you've made for yourself. You'd have the people you've known." But there's more, beyond that. He remembers the talk he had with Doctor McCoy, after rescuing him. And his own conversations with Nigma. "You wanted my attention. You have it. You wanted my respect... you wanted to impress me. I know what you feel like you'd be risking, if you turned yourself in. If you did it, despite that... if you went in, and devoted yourself to rehabilitation with the same intellect and drive you've devoted to your game. Even if you didn't make it out, you'd have it."
[02:56] edsidlemirth: Eddie looks over at him as he talks, watching for signs of deception. Bruce is an excellent liar, but even if he's lying, he'd have to understand this much in order to be able to do it, and to place the challenge in the first place. "I would have it," he repeats. "You understand, but you have to deal with the rest of the city. You don't want to play?" Play, but his tone's somber. "Don't you want that challenge without all this death?"
[03:58] knight_so_dark: It's less deception than he's comfortable with. Kernels of truth, threads of reality. Even if he's twisting them for a goal, he would be impressed by Nigma, if he did what Bruce is asking.
"There's always death in Gotham," he says, without thinking. It's too true to remain unsaid. The most honest thing he's said all night. And the sadness and resignation on his face... the two, together, aren't coincidence. "And Gotham always comes first. It's not a matter of 'want.'" He thinks he knows what Eddie wants, here. Thinks. He can't give it, not as much as the man wants, any more than he could give a snowball fight. But... "You want to keep playing," he says, carefully. "I'd... Bruce Wayne would already be visiting you, while you were in."
[04:21] edsidlemirth: He's quiet for a while, and fills the silence by going back to sorting through this box. "You're saying all this toward the obvious end, and that's fine. I get that. I think I do need... time to figure this out. I will be impressive, I promise. Don't make me a liar."
[04:45] knight_so_dark: He nods. Slowly. That's the best he'll get, for now. He can accept that. For now. "I'll trust you," he says, feeling that uneasiness of near-truth, again, "to let me know, when you decide." And then, again with 'impressive.' Does Nigma understand, at all, what would impress Bruce? "...I hope so." Answering his own question.
[04:57] edsidlemirth: "No, I'll go, okay? That's what I'm saying. Give me a day, a couple days. There are always things I need to resolve..." His voice wavers. He can't decide on keeping his tone neutral or letting the dejection come through.
[05:03] knight_so_dark: Oh. "Alright." Deep breath. You did this, Bruce. You did it. You'll have to ensure, of course, that he keeps his end of it, but for at least the next few minutes, it's not something you need to worry about. Just focus on ending this on a less than terrible note. "...thank you."
[05:12] edsidlemirth: "And then you'll have more time for what you need to do." He'd really like for that answer to get him out of this. He shuts the box and looks over at Bruce again. Say it was a test, and he can stay. Say he's worth the time. Why wouldn't he be? How can he understand all of this and not think he's worth the time? Eddie could keep it going, drop a clue and work it so all this was the setup, and he'd -have- to go along with it. And it would be a waste of his time.
[05:24] knight_so_dark: "But never enough." No chance of it being just a test. But he does look... apologetic? Relieved, yes, but certainly not happy with the whole situation.
[05:33] edsidlemirth: So the time he wastes isn't even relevant? No, no, this isn't how it's supposed to go. This man is the only one who's kept up. His opponent isn't supposed to get everything and have everything else better to do with his time. His minion wasn't supposed to get blown up, and he wasn't supposed to get sick, and he wasn't supposed to ever have to go to Arkham willingly. That was -never- a part of the plan. "No?"
[21:12] knight_so_dark: He doesn't know what's what's going through Nigma's head, of course -- he's quite a lot of things, but psychic isn't one of them. The remark was an expression of his own frustration, and nothing more. "I could have enough hours in every night to go down every street in Gotham, and there'd still be crime as soon as I was a street down."
[21:23] edsidlemirth: "You've taken on an enormous burden, but you're worthy of -that- challenge. You know that, don't you?"
[21:41] knight_so_dark: Maybe. I hope so. Sometimes, I'm not so sure. "I have to be." He sighs. Too much of himself, too much personal weakness, has been exposed tonight, right now. Far too much. What he got in exchange, though... that's worth it, isn't it? "Thank you."
[21:48] edsidlemirth: Eddie smiles slightly, appeased somewhat by the answer. "Do me a favor and let me keep this stuff here? None of it is stolen. It's a just a couple boxes of nerd junk."
[22:08] knight_so_dark: Bruce nods. He can do that. (He'll check, later tonight, to see that that's really what they contain, but... honestly, he already knows that it is.) "Alright."
[22:09] edsidlemirth: "Cool... thanks..." He steps away from the boxes and eyes the door. "You better go find Harley before she wanders into trouble."
[22:11] knight_so_dark: "Hmn." A faint smirk. "I will. I'll see you soon."
[22:12] edsidlemirth: "Yeah, heh..." Quiet, resigned laugh, that. "See you soon."
[22:13] knight_so_dark: A nod, and he goes. He even gives Nigma... Eddie... the courtesy of seeing him leave.
[23:41] knight_so_dark: He could have texted him. Could have called him, and had the conversation over the phone. Could have called him, and arranged a meeting-place. None of those would have the same impact as this, though. None of them would make the same point to Nigma as this, as tracking him down to this storage unit (and the ordeal that was... well, he needs some secrets, you know), and knocking -- rap-rap-rap-rap, rap-rap. He's in plainclothes, bulky gloves tucked into his hoodie.
[23:43] edsidlemirth: Eddie tenses, hesitates a moment, then stands up by the pulled-down garage door of the unit. "Here's a knocking, indeed... Who's there?"
[23:49] knight_so_dark: "If a man were porter of Hell Gate..." he continues the quote, calmly. Really, if anyone has to consider himself as tasked with that job, it should be him.
[23:51] edsidlemirth: Eddie pulls open the door, satisfied with that, and smiles, neither sheepish nor smug.
[00:01] knight_so_dark: He smiles back, faint and tired. The smile is just politeness, the tiredness real. In all of this, there's less of an act than he wishes there was. Fake is easy. "We need to talk."
[00:06] edsidlemirth: "Sure," he says, and pulls the door shut. Rattlerattlerattleslam! He turns back to face the little room, and its ordered stack of boxes. "You're going to talk to me about Arkham. Unless Dr. McCoy exploded on your way out of there, in which case I doubt you'd smile... he's out of there, completely, now, right?"
[00:17] knight_so_dark: "Mmn." An affirmative sort of noise, and a short nod. "I left him to the police. Quinzel got away."
[00:20] edsidlemirth: He mms, too. "That's unfortunate. Do you have any lead on her? You came after me, instead..."
[00:40] knight_so_dark: "You're a higher priority." He plunges onward. To the reason why he came in civvies, the reason why he's talking to him instead of just attacking him. "This doesn't have to end badly."
[00:43] edsidlemirth: "I've been helping you, and I'm a higher priority? It doesn't have to end any way. I'll stay out and I'll track down Quinzel, too."
[00:54] knight_so_dark: That's not how he meant it. God damn it... no. Don't dwell. Don't get upset. Move on. "You're still a fugitive. Even if I --" allow you to... no, bad wording, "don't act against you, you're still going to have to hide from the police. Skulk in the shadows. Be limited in where you go, and what you do..."
[00:58] edsidlemirth: "My record will show that I am, in fact, rather good at evading the police -and- escaping custody." A scowl is developing. He does not so much like where this conversation is going. "And any concessions I need to make to hiding from the law are a far cry better than the limitations of being in a cell."
[01:22] knight_so_dark: "But if you withstand the limitations of being in a cell, for a time, you can leave it without having to make those concessions anymore." He's losing ground, here. He keeps talking, more rushed. More honest. "Your help was invaluable in finding Dr. McCoy, and putting the Joker away again. I wouldn't -- be averse to continuing that relationship." Though he stumbles, mid-sentence, it's not a lie. He's useful, Nigma is, and it has been a pleasure to converse with someone on the same intellectual level as him. "But there are police I work with, and I can't keep a fugitive from them, and expect to be tolerated myself. Your record shows you can break out of Arkham with no effort at all. No challenge. But you know the ratio of escapes to legitimate releases in maximum security...?"
[01:37] edsidlemirth: "If upon examination it appears near impossible, then yes, it would be an appropriate challenge." It is not one he is happy with. The scowl softens a bit, but he's still frowning, and he shoves his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting. "For all any of us know, this could be my last chance to -do anything-, and that can't be predicted. In my time there, Jervis is the only one of us who walked out the front door, and that's because he just needed the time to go back on his meds. I'm not psychotic. A pill can't fix me. There's a serious possibility I don't make it out of there, and then what do I have to show for anything?"
[02:31] knight_so_dark: "You'd have what you've already done, and the name you've made for yourself. You'd have the people you've known." But there's more, beyond that. He remembers the talk he had with Doctor McCoy, after rescuing him. And his own conversations with Nigma. "You wanted my attention. You have it. You wanted my respect... you wanted to impress me. I know what you feel like you'd be risking, if you turned yourself in. If you did it, despite that... if you went in, and devoted yourself to rehabilitation with the same intellect and drive you've devoted to your game. Even if you didn't make it out, you'd have it."
[02:56] edsidlemirth: Eddie looks over at him as he talks, watching for signs of deception. Bruce is an excellent liar, but even if he's lying, he'd have to understand this much in order to be able to do it, and to place the challenge in the first place. "I would have it," he repeats. "You understand, but you have to deal with the rest of the city. You don't want to play?" Play, but his tone's somber. "Don't you want that challenge without all this death?"
[03:58] knight_so_dark: It's less deception than he's comfortable with. Kernels of truth, threads of reality. Even if he's twisting them for a goal, he would be impressed by Nigma, if he did what Bruce is asking.
"There's always death in Gotham," he says, without thinking. It's too true to remain unsaid. The most honest thing he's said all night. And the sadness and resignation on his face... the two, together, aren't coincidence. "And Gotham always comes first. It's not a matter of 'want.'" He thinks he knows what Eddie wants, here. Thinks. He can't give it, not as much as the man wants, any more than he could give a snowball fight. But... "You want to keep playing," he says, carefully. "I'd... Bruce Wayne would already be visiting you, while you were in."
[04:21] edsidlemirth: He's quiet for a while, and fills the silence by going back to sorting through this box. "You're saying all this toward the obvious end, and that's fine. I get that. I think I do need... time to figure this out. I will be impressive, I promise. Don't make me a liar."
[04:45] knight_so_dark: He nods. Slowly. That's the best he'll get, for now. He can accept that. For now. "I'll trust you," he says, feeling that uneasiness of near-truth, again, "to let me know, when you decide." And then, again with 'impressive.' Does Nigma understand, at all, what would impress Bruce? "...I hope so." Answering his own question.
[04:57] edsidlemirth: "No, I'll go, okay? That's what I'm saying. Give me a day, a couple days. There are always things I need to resolve..." His voice wavers. He can't decide on keeping his tone neutral or letting the dejection come through.
[05:03] knight_so_dark: Oh. "Alright." Deep breath. You did this, Bruce. You did it. You'll have to ensure, of course, that he keeps his end of it, but for at least the next few minutes, it's not something you need to worry about. Just focus on ending this on a less than terrible note. "...thank you."
[05:12] edsidlemirth: "And then you'll have more time for what you need to do." He'd really like for that answer to get him out of this. He shuts the box and looks over at Bruce again. Say it was a test, and he can stay. Say he's worth the time. Why wouldn't he be? How can he understand all of this and not think he's worth the time? Eddie could keep it going, drop a clue and work it so all this was the setup, and he'd -have- to go along with it. And it would be a waste of his time.
[05:24] knight_so_dark: "But never enough." No chance of it being just a test. But he does look... apologetic? Relieved, yes, but certainly not happy with the whole situation.
[05:33] edsidlemirth: So the time he wastes isn't even relevant? No, no, this isn't how it's supposed to go. This man is the only one who's kept up. His opponent isn't supposed to get everything and have everything else better to do with his time. His minion wasn't supposed to get blown up, and he wasn't supposed to get sick, and he wasn't supposed to ever have to go to Arkham willingly. That was -never- a part of the plan. "No?"
[21:12] knight_so_dark: He doesn't know what's what's going through Nigma's head, of course -- he's quite a lot of things, but psychic isn't one of them. The remark was an expression of his own frustration, and nothing more. "I could have enough hours in every night to go down every street in Gotham, and there'd still be crime as soon as I was a street down."
[21:23] edsidlemirth: "You've taken on an enormous burden, but you're worthy of -that- challenge. You know that, don't you?"
[21:41] knight_so_dark: Maybe. I hope so. Sometimes, I'm not so sure. "I have to be." He sighs. Too much of himself, too much personal weakness, has been exposed tonight, right now. Far too much. What he got in exchange, though... that's worth it, isn't it? "Thank you."
[21:48] edsidlemirth: Eddie smiles slightly, appeased somewhat by the answer. "Do me a favor and let me keep this stuff here? None of it is stolen. It's a just a couple boxes of nerd junk."
[22:08] knight_so_dark: Bruce nods. He can do that. (He'll check, later tonight, to see that that's really what they contain, but... honestly, he already knows that it is.) "Alright."
[22:09] edsidlemirth: "Cool... thanks..." He steps away from the boxes and eyes the door. "You better go find Harley before she wanders into trouble."
[22:11] knight_so_dark: "Hmn." A faint smirk. "I will. I'll see you soon."
[22:12] edsidlemirth: "Yeah, heh..." Quiet, resigned laugh, that. "See you soon."
[22:13] knight_so_dark: A nod, and he goes. He even gives Nigma... Eddie... the courtesy of seeing him leave.