Beijing, China Happiness [Nina]

[Deleted]

[OOC: Obviously after escape]

He slid his card key into the Penthouse suite of the current hotel he was staying at. Admittedly, when he visited anywhere he visited it in style. Having the ability to hack into any computer main frame opened up wonderful black mail opportunities, but this suite was actually provided by the Chinese Government. He smirked to himself as his hand opened the door to the large elegant room. After their private flight to Beiging, he had immediately dropped off Nina and went to meet his contact. It had gone as expected because like all of Edward's plans, they were pulled off marvelously. He walked across the wooden floor, past the marble kitchen and into the living area. It was quite surprising that a country that had thousands on the street barely making a dollar a day, they had hotels that provided such wealth. He saw Nina standing at the wall size window looking at the other tall skyscrapers. It was unfortunate they could not stay closer to the Forbidden City. He would have loved to point it out to her from this distance. Instead, they had the view of all cities, except the streets down below were far more crowded than Gotham.

He walked passed the couch, tossing his black blower cap onto the chair as he passed. He knew his cane had already given his presence away, but he tried to walk to her as silently as possible. He felt so unreasonably happy. Probably because everything was going his way. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his cheek into his hair. "Dear, you look lovely in thought," he commented softly against her hair. He couldn't even be mad about his suspicions for her. He was too distracted by the wonders of a good plan. He was going to take down the U.S. government with a few computer codes. He was going to start the next large war and economic collapse because people were merely too stupid to figure out his riddles.

The FBI would be pulled from his beloved city, and he would be free. He would let the idiots kill or starve themselves as he enjoyed his life. (Edward had never considered how bored he would be once everyone was no longer paying attention to him. Short term thinking has it's downfalls.) Edward was a genius. Edward would be respected as the best Gotham Rogue. He would not be ignored for the Joker. Everyone would worship at his feet. Life was perfect.

[Nina Stenet]

Nina scans over the tops of the skyscrapers visible from the window. Certainly not the first time she's seen such buildings, but she's never seen this particular set of them before. And it still seems weird to her to be here - she's never actually been outside of the U.S. before, and this place has an extra large difference in culture. She still trying to decide whether or not she likes it. Definitely a huge improvement on being stuck in Gotham, but...

Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears Edward arriving, but she doesn't react. He's been so absorbed in his own thoughts lately - something she can easily know simply by the fact that she's seen no sign of him taking the time to find out what she did even though she knows that it bothers him. And that's actually a bit irritating because she literally has nothing to occupy herself with; she'd welcome having some of Edward's attention right now. But since he hasn't been giving her very much lately, she's pleasantly surprised by the way he greets her.

She leans onto him a little and relaxes under his touch. Well, someone's in a good mood! Huge improvement over being distant and deep in thought. His plan must be going well, if it isn't finished already. Is she happy about that or not? She wants him to have the pride of success, but she's also guessing that him being successful will be disastrous for someone. But the only certain answer she can give herself for that one is that she's happy that he's happy.

And the thought occurs to her that she might want to take advantage of his current good mood - after all, now that they're as safely away from the mess in Gotham as they could possibly be she doesn't have to worry that he'll think that what she did there was irreparably disastrous even if he doesn't like it. And if she goes for too long without telling him, she's certain that he'll find out himself soon and it's probably better coming from her. "Hmm, I was thinking about the night before we left Gotham," she replies, her voice content but also slightly nervous. After all, she hasn't brought that up at all at any point before and now she's hinting that she's willing to talk about it. And with how close they're standing she should be able to tell immediately just how hard she'll have to try to convince him it isn't a big deal by the way he reacts.

[Deleted]

His arms wrapped tighter around her frame as she leaned into him. It was strange having a woman always there in his life. It was something he had yet to get accustom to, but at this moment, he enjoyed the fact very much so. His finger traced along her shirt as he listened to her remark. He paused in his movement for the briefest of seconds before continuing with the tracing pattern. Interesting. It was an odd thing to be thinking about when they had finally escaped the prison hell Gotham had become.

His thoughts jumped back to Nina behavior the last few weeks in Gotham. She had been distant and cold, yet the day of escape she had been happy. He had found the dramatic change strange, but he hadn't had time to analyze it appropriately. In the end, he contributed it to them getting out of Gotham. With her comment, it meant it probably was something more.

He didn't outright accuse her of something. He didn't pry. He could tell by her mere mention of that night that she obviously had something to tell him. He desperately hoped it wasn't some terrible news. He was too happy to hear something of the sorts. So instead of showing his usually paranoia, he smirked, "You were thinking of that beautiful car as well? I got so lucky when I found it. Stable engine. Sleek curves. It's almost comparable to a woman, and ten times more reliable," he joked....partially.

[Nina Stenet]

Actually, she'd been thinking about a lot of things while standing at the window - that being a minor bit of one. And, if anything, she relaxes a little more when he continues to be relaxed himself - yep, he's definitely in a very good mood. She's in a good mood too, actually. Being out of Gotham on top of the success of her plan has eliminated all of her worries, aside from those she can't do a thing about - and she's never been one to bother too much with those.

Nina laughs mildly at his little joke, and her head shifts so that she can look up at him. She'd turn toward him, but that would be a tricky maneuver with crutches, require him to let go, and she'd rather not have that. "I haven't been very nice to you, keeping secrets when you have more important things to worry about," she comments, her face managing to be both guilty and unapologetic. The only regret she has with doing what she did is that she felt the need to keep it from him.

"But I was worried that you wouldn't let me do it, or take over if you did, and I felt like I had to do it myself. And afterward I was worried that you'd overreact, like the last time I did something without telling you," she adds quietly and a bit sadly, though the way she remains relaxed in his arms is a sign that she's not upset now. Like she told him back them, he's forgiven for that but she's hardly forgotten; though she has no hard feelings, the fact of it is still a part of her decision making process. It would take a lot of trust for her to really believe that it wouldn't happen again, and she isn't quite there yet. Though if he keeps taking it well this time, it will help a lot.

"But if any of that makes me unreliable, at least it also makes me ten times more interesting," she comments with a smile, not wanting to let that other bit hang in the air, "I think that you'd be able to guess what I did, or close enough, if it occurred to you that I would do such a thing in the first place. But it goes against the picture you have of me." Which isn't all that surprising, actually - for his own protection he's forcing himself to assume that her values are such that she'll betray him eventually, and what she did is not in keeping with someone whose moral code is that strict. Nina has a moral code, a few points of it are non-negotiable, but it serves her and not the other way around.

While she's unsure what he'll make of what she did, she's quite certain it will be a surprise. She has a tender spot for him, after all, so she's never gotten so deeply angry with him as she was with Agent Tiff and the rest of the F.B.I. and thus he's never seen that side of her. Well, actually she was nearly that angry with him right after she left that riddle he'd put her through, but it hadn't lasted since it wasn't as severe. She was that angry at Luthor, but she was able to handle that one much more quietly - and legally - and that was still a little shy of the amount of anger she had for Agent Tiff.

[Deleted]

He attempts to keep his body from tensing. Edward knew she had kept something from him, and it bother him to hear that he was actually correct. (But honestly, when was he not?) His fingers stopped tracing along her shirt. His eyes were to glued to her face, trying to catch and read her expressions. When she mentioned their last incident, he inwardly cringed. It was for that very reason, he was preventing himself from interrupting her. He had promised along time ago that he would try, and he certainly was trying now. He would wait patiently for her to explain. He would not jump to the conclusion that she had betrayed him.

She didn't betray him.

No, she wouldn't.

Did Batman really figured out the riddle, or.....or had Nina informed him of his plans to leave? He had mentioned to her on quite a few occasions that he planned to leave and when they would be. She could have given...

Stop it, Nigma. Patience.

Edward's hands actually did leave Nina's waist. He untangled them and stepped away from her for a moment. His free hand reaching into his pocket and grabbing his lollipop as he leaned into his cane. He wasn't facing her anymore. He was mostly just trying to calm his racing mind that was already jumping to thousands of conclusions. Her comment about being interesting, actually distracted him for a moment. He gave the briefest of smirks. Ten times more difficult is the better phrase.

He unwrapped the candy and put it into his mouth before turning back around to face her. He was so happy with everything. He deeply did not want whatever Nina had done to ruin it. He did not want to find out, that she had actually already sabotaged it. At least, she was telling him now. Maybe, he could fix whatever traitorous thing she had done. No, no, she did not do anything.

"I am an intelligent man," he said causally, with a little less enthusiasm then normal. It was like he went from being extremely happy to tired again. He always felt tired in these situations. Emotionally tired. He did not enjoy it. "And because I am, I learn quickly." He paused a moment longer, rolling his lollipop into his other cheek so he could taste the flavor. He then looked at her seriously. "It will be better if I don't guess. I would like to just hear it," he stated. He felt strange not attempting to solve the riddle. It almost felt like he was pulling something away from him. It felt a bit uncomfortable, like walking outside your home wearing two different types of socks. Livable, but uncomfortable. His mind was still analyzing everything. He was still trying to determine the riddle she had presented, but he was physically trying to focus elsewhere...like the lollipop.

[Nina Stenet]

The moment that his hands leave her waist, the worrying starts. Is he going to get angry even before finding out what happened again? She turns away from the window so that she can watch him. Her lips purse slightly as he takes out a lollipop - that's generally not a good sign. But she tries to not read too much into just the one symptom of his thought process.

What he says surprises her, and it shows in her expression. She doesn't recall him ever wanting just to hear something flat out before. But she only has to ponder that for a moment before she realizes why that would be - he's having a hard time not jumping to the conclusion that she betrayed him and doesn't want to ponder the riddle because that's the answer coming to mind. Just wants out of that misery, she supposes. "Well, first of all, I didn't run into anyone else wearing a costume if you're worried about that," she starts, guessing that's the first worry to resolve before saying anything else.

Especially since what she says next would otherwise bring that worry even more to mind. "But, among other things, I burned Stenet Labs," she states. And perhaps surprisingly, in spite of the fact that her worry about what he'll make of it mutes the feeling a smile spreads across her face at the memory. And not just any smile, but a pleased smile. You'd think that she'd just cured cancer or something based on that smile.

[Deleted]

He rolled the lollipop back and forth in his mouth as he waited for her explanation. It was taking all his power not to analyze. He felt so..out of his element. He even more uncomfortable as the seconds ticked. But unfortunately when she spoke, it did not make the uncomfortable feeling go away. No, it made it worse. He wanted to tell her to be quiet and give him a moment so he could figure it out himself. What would she have done that he would not expect her to do? No, Nigma. He gripped his cane tighter as she started to talk, forcing himself not speak. He almost was too distracted by his uncomfortable obsessive compulsive disorder that he missed what Nina said.

He blinked when he realized what she had said. No costumed person. His hand relaxed immediately, and the uncomfortable feeling was replaced by a more content feeling. There was a small lingering feeling of doubt in her words, but he promptly pushed it aside.

When she continued, it was Edward's turn to be surprised. His eyes widened and his lollipop hung out of his mouth, awkwardly. Did she say, 'burn down Stenet Labs'? Yes, she had definitely said that. She was even smiling. He pulled himself together. He smirked. If she burned down the lab, it meant that she didn't want someone else to have it. Hmm.

"You are becoming a pyro?" he asked with a new smile on his face, "I think you chose the wrong man. Garfield's still in custody."

[Nina Stenet]

Her pleased smile takes on an amused element at the look that crosses Edward's face; she can't help it, it's much too fun to inform someone who is so certain they can predict everything that you've done something so fully unexpected. Still, a hint of nervousness remains until his surprise wears off enough to show what he thinks about it. And when it's a smirk, her smile only gets bigger; she'd half expected him to be angry with her for the risk involved in doing that.

And his question gets a laugh. "Pyro? No, this wasn't motivated by a fire obsession," she says as she crutches closer, before unknowingly confirming his thought when she stops next to him and adds, "It's my lab, and the feds can't have it. Not if they're going to take it from me like that, anyway. Though actually, there were many other reasons to do it too - though I have to admit none of those prompted the idea in the first place." It was only after she'd mulled the thought over for a bit that she realized that her knee-jerk, emotionally based desire to deprive them of her lab was actually a logically sound idea too.

There's a pause as she considers her words for a moment, and her expression grows serious as she tries to decide how to explain this properly. But after a moment she looks at him and says, "Revenge means something different to me than it does to you. It isn't about making someone 'pay' - or not directly, anyway. It's about fixing the damage done to myself and taking every advantage of the situation I possibly can so that I end up ahead because of what happened. Or as close as I can get.

"Thus: they took my work, I retrieved my laptop from its hiding place before I burned the building. They seized my lab, and I burned it to hide that my laptop was my real reason for going there and show that I'm not to be messed with. And, last but not least, he shot my knee and I used that to give 'proof' to Commissioner Gordon that Nina Stenet was not the masked woman who did all of the above just before I did it." By the end of her little rant about that eventful evening, her smile has returned. She can't help that, really, she's just too proud of herself. It just might be one of the single most brilliant things she's ever done, in her opinion. Outside of her lab, anyway.

[Deleted]

He listened carefully as she explained what she did. It all fit into place. The strange behavior. The strange questions. As he pondered it more, the action did not seem far from Nina's personalty. To be quite honest, while Nina surprised him more than most people, he was stating to understand her personality. She was a woman who did what she thought was right. She did not let laws or morality determine to her what was right or wrong. No, she had her own opinion and her stubborn personality would not let anyone or anything sway her from what she perceived as right. He found it almost humorous that she called the act, an act of revenge. It wasn't revenge. It was what she thought was fair for someone doing something wrong to her. It might be considered illegal, but it was still right. It was funny how she could change something illegal into something fair or good. In some ways, she almost seemed incorruptible.

He also liked seeing her smile.

There were a few things that he saw flaws in her logic, but for a virgin in the illegal field she hadn't been particularly bad. The one thing that caught his attention was a mention of a mask.

"You wore a mask?" he asked, almost finding it humorous. He really had no reason to laugh. He himself had worn a purple domino mask for most of his career. He sometimes still put it on, if he wanted to add to his dramatic flare, but when the world knew who you were you had less reason to put on a mask to hide yourself. The idea of Nina wearing a mask just seemed funny. "I'm guessing you didn't take my fashion advice?" he remarked with a smirk.

He did wish Nina wasn't so set in her ways. He would have enjoyed her actually being at his side during heist or puzzle, but he knew that would never occur. The smirk turned into a thoughtful frown as he rolled the lollipop back and forth. He understood why she had done it, but she truly brought more suspicion on herself. Only a person who has something to hide would attempt to hide it. "I am going to be blunt though, dear. Giving evidence to Commissioner Gordon does not hide your identity. If anything, it will make them more certain who you are. The only way to cover that mistake would be to give evidence or proof against the FBI for another person who had been effected by them. If that's the only information you gave, they can easily figure out that you either are her, or you are a close personal friend. It's an easy deduction from there that you must have handed over the evidence. The lab will also be targeted to you. You are the only person who would find value in burning it down. No one else would, so you would be the first suspect. While I applaud your actions, you need to make sure you can walk away it clean. For example, you cause an electric fire to start in the building next to it, and it catches fire to the lab. It would mean that it could be blamed on an accident. You then give the evidence on a different night," he paused. He didn't want to deflate her high, but she needed to understand that she would certainly be blamed for arson. "Luckily, you are already labeled a criminal because of the FBI so doing such actions will have little effect on how they perceive you. It just means that your mask identity is probably no longer protected."

[Nina Stenet]

Nina rolls her eyes slightly at the mention of Edward's fashion advice. Actually, she'd gotten fashion advice: from Shawty. Because though Nina is perfectly capable of picking out clothing that looks nice on her, she does know that she doesn't know the first thing about high fashion and she didn't want to look like some nobody if seen next to Mr. Green Armani Suit. And while Shawty may come from a humble background, give her enough money to work with and she knows what to buy since she's actually into that stuff.

When Edward goes on to explain the flaw he perceives in what she did, Nina frowns slightly in frustration. She's only glossed over what she did and he's already trying to poke holes in it before he even knows the details? Really? And on such an obvious point, too. Does he really think that she's that stupid? "See, here's the thing," she starts when he's done, smile somewhat faded but she's not about to let him tell her she failed, "What I gave Commissioner Gordon had proof that I can't walk yet. Not without a mechanically imposed limp and excruciating pain, anyway. And I walked out to give it to him. And though the next morning's news reports called the building a 'complete loss', they were apparently able to salvage the security tapes, and they saw me walking there too."

"And of course I made giving him that proof seem incidental," she adds, explaining further, "After I'd had time to rest from the surgery on my knee, I realized that my kneecap was so shattered that you could see it deform from the outside, and that I could use that. So late that evening I borrowed one of your cameras and recorded a message describing everything that happened with Agent Tiff, that just so happened to include a detailed description of the damage to my knee and a demonstration of the way the kneecap deformed. (That's why I asked you how you clean up a computer file several days later, incidentally.) Any doctor who looked at that video would say that I would not be able to walk normally nearly by the time they saw me walking, even if I was lying about the rest. That's what I gave Gordon." She smirks, "That and the bullets, under the guise of wanting to hand over evidence against the F.B.I. I don't know if he actually can or if he knows someone who can, but if something can be done with that, even better. It's obvious to anyone that what happened to me was wrong."

Eager to show that Edward's conclusion is faulty, she continues, "If you give my knee a couple more months, it can be x-rayed and show that my description of the bones broken was completely accurate with no sign of anything odd having happened or that it was used before it was healed, for even more 'proof'. And, given what I said on the video, it gives anyone who cares about what happened a reason to be angry at the F.B.I. - enough to burn my lab if they wanted to make a statement. So without knowing just how much I can do with my gift, they'll come to the conclusion that I can't possibly be her. That they'll know that I simply know her is something I can work with - that could mean anything. Especially since I indicated on the video that I hope to become legitimate again and thus would have reason to not want my lab burned if I hoped to return to it."

Ending that rant, Nina's smile remains confident even though a part of her does worry that it won't turn out as she hopes when all is said and done. She's given all of this the best shot that she could, but she'd be the first to admit that she's not really in her element here. So she's pretty sure that she got all the details right, but not completely.

[Deleted]

He couldn't help it. He laughed.

It started off like a low chuckle then turned to full on laughter. He had to grip tighter onto his cane so he wouldn't fall over. He even held his stomach to better balance himself. It was so hilarious. She truly was a newbie, and the fact that she was arguing with him, the master of all schemes, was so predictably Nina. She could never take the criticism. She could never be wrong. She was a fool though if she actually believed what she said.

Problem 1: She gave evidence to Jim Gordon about the attack on the FBI. It showed her knee was damaged. While that information is a good point, the Commissioner certainly was not going to hand that over to the FBI. He already knew the Commissioner was less then sympathetic for the FBI like all the other civilians. Therefore, the FBI would not have knowledge of the true damage to her knee. They wouldn't even consider those facts when analyzing the arson.

Problem 2: She was caught on security tape. As he had already noted to her, the FBI is automatically going to assume it was her. No other person would have incentive to act, except for her assistant. No other person would have the desire to dress in a mask and go and burn a random lab, unless they wanted something from it. She could have gotten away with it by making it look like a Rogue or some mobster wanted some formula, but that would require leaving false evidence, something she said she did not do. Therefore, the first person of suspicion would be her. With the tape they now have in possession and the photograph they most likely have of Nina, why would they not compare them? Unless this mask and costume was a fat suit, they could easily compare the height and frame to her photo. If they matched, which they would, they could easily make the connection.

Problem 3: She was relying too much on that one contradiction of her leg and walking. Even if the FBI might knows of the damage through Agent Tiff, that does not mean they do not understand Gotham. Gotham is full of metahumans and if anything she just gave them a clue to her power. There is also the fact, that many of criminals or rogue just continue doing what they need to do, no matter the damage. He can barely walk up stairs, but when he is fleeing from the Batman, he runs. He runs because he has too. He even does it without a cane. Painful? Excruciating, but you do it. Damage does not mean game over to criminals. Admittedly, her leg would make them question whether is was her, but being caught by the security camera would certainly put those doubts behind them.

Problem 4: She has a faulty perception of her own life. It goes back to the issue of why would someone burn down the lab. It's the first question a detective would have. Why? It could be for a burglary or kid's having fun. Nina did not give the evidence for that, so those theories would be crossed off. It could be that someone is trying to hide something. Who would do that? Oh, maybe the person who has their name on the building. She is looped in. Nina had suggested that they could think it's someone she knows or someone who wanted to help her. Nina works too much to have any close friends. He doesn't blame her. He does it as well, but anyone looking into her personal life would realize her friends are limited. That narrows your people very thinly, and then why would those friends even want to burn down the lab? It takes a lot for a person to go and do something drastic. Most people are like sheep. For someone to go the extra mile, they would have to be more than just someone Nina knows. They would have to be someone that truly cares for Nina a great deal, and would have to be someone who must have spoken to Nina before hand. The number of suspects are drastically shrinking, truly only leaving Nina, Shawty, and him. The person caught on tape is obviously a woman, marking him off. The person caught on tape actually looks like an adult, marking Shawty off.

How did she not realize this? If she just took his criticism, he wouldn't be laughing. Instead she went into painful detail how he was incorrect. It was hilarious. If anyone knew how to plan or create deception through evidence, it was him. Her seriousness was also funny. It was like watching a kid try to cook dinner, but can't even reach the pans. The parent goes to help and the kid scolds them and tell them that she will be just fine. The cute seriousness on the kid's face is just purely adorable because you know it's not true.

He prevented himself from mentioning his flaws he had found. She obviously was not going to listen to them and for that reason he saw no reason in telling her. You also never want to destroy the child's heart by telling them they can't cook, so you pat them on the head instead and say have fun. He felt like he had to do something similar. His laughter was finally replaced by heavy breathing as he caught his breath. "You seem to have it all figured out then," he said with a smirk as he moved over to the couch. "My helps not even needed I see," he remarked as he sat on the couch. He pulled his legs up on top of it, putting his feet on top of the arm rest as he leaned his back against the other arm rest. He plucked his lollipop out of his mouth as he studied Nina still standing there.

Seeing her in crutches always slightly irked him. One because it reminded him what the FBI did to her, but two because he thought it was a little dramatic, too.....victimlike, and he greatly disliked when people played victim. The crutches also just didn't fit her, but again, he kept his mouth shut. He might like to hear himself talk sometimes, but he was smart enough to know not to insult a woman.

[Nina Stenet]

Nina sighs quietly even though the smile still lingers on her face. If he thinks that she's not going to be convinced, then he's right. The full results of what she did will take quite some time to show itself, and much of it depends on exactly how it's interpreted by others. Right now she'll just have to play a waiting game to see how some of it turns out. And until that happens, she's going to be cautiously optimistic whether Edward wants to believe that she screwed up her life or not.

On the other hand, she doesn't really want to turn this into an argument. Oh, if he's going to actually offer criticism she'll attempt to defend herself, but she'd rather not fight about what will happen until the final results are in. Especially when they won't be able to see those results for what will probably be a very long time, and she might be able to do more to make sure that it goes her way before then.

She smirks when he lays on the couch. "Are you finished?" she asks, in reference to his laughing, "I know you think I've just doomed myself to disaster. I suspected that you'd think so." It would go against his every opinion of her to date for him to think she could actually do something well. "But I didn't tell you so that you could laugh at me," she adds as she follows him over to the couch, though she doesn't really look offended by that. Actually, having him find it funny is a huge improvement over what she was worried about, so her smile stays.

She sits precariously on the remaining edge of the couch next to him and sets her crutches aside on the floor where she can retrieve them later as she says, "I told you so that you can stop worrying." Her smile softens as her eyes shift over to meet his, "Sure, this may go up in flames for me, but I don't see any of it ruining much, if anything, for you. I know you don't really believe it, but I'd never do anything like that. I love you too much for that." There's an awkward pause as she searches for something else to say and glances at her hands now sitting on her lap. While she wasn't exactly offended by his laughing, she was somewhat put off by it even though she doesn't quite recognize that at the moment. "But like you said, I'm already labeled a criminal. It can't have made things that much worse, even for me," she adds. Even when she's willing to consider the idea that he's completely correct, there's only so much pessimism to be had.

[Deleted]

She was irritated with him. He didn't even need to hear the snide remark to know that. She should just be pleased that he keeping his comments to himself...then again being laughed at couldn't be enjoyable. It wasn't his fault though. It was just too funny. He watched her move over to the couch, still with a smirk on his face. She sat at the edge and based on his tone, he noted that she was a bit more serious. Yes, it definitely appeared that he had offended her.

"Dear, I never said it was doomed," he commented, his brow furrowing together at the comment. He knew it wouldn't go the exact way she wanted, but it certainly would have no drastic major consequences. She just has to get a new outfit if she ever considered doing something like that again. There really were no consequences for her identity being known. His identity had known for years, but he still challenges the city with riddle after riddle. He reached out and grabbed her arm that was closest to him, as she was staring at her hands. He then pulled her causing her to fall a bit on top of him. "You really must not be so serious. Today's a wonderful day!" he said with a full grin, not realizing how silly he sounded. He was in a good mood after all, and Nina was officially a criminal, though he was certain once the FBI left, that would be sponged from her record.

And they would be living soon....He smirked at the thought. His other hand moving to push her hair out of her face so he could see that smile he liked. He just didn't want to see that sad smile she was putting on a few moments ago.

[Nina Stenet]

The hesitation in allowing him to pull her over only lasts for a split second. She can't help it - his mood is infectious. Especially since they're now at the tail end of a conversation Nina had actually been pretty worried about, and Edward is clearly not going to be upset by it. It's the relief at having that now behind her instead of in front of her as much as the silliness of his statement that causes her to laugh as she lies against him.

She misses this, she realizes quickly: this closeness. Sure there were moments here and there when they'd spare a second or two to show each other some hint of affection, but that's all it's been since... Well, since Edward got absorbed by what she's assuming has brought them here. Which was far too long ago, in her book, even if she may not have noticed as much if she didn't have way too much free time at the moment. Waiting for other things to happen so that she actually has something that matters to do is very boring.

Shifting slightly to make herself more comfortable in this position (and definitely not so that she can get a little closer - no, of course not!), she remarks, "Well, my day just improved substantially." Unable to resist the temptation to do so, she gives him a quick kiss just in case it isn't already blatantly obvious why she'd say that. "Things are going well?" she asks, her tone allowing that to be rhetorical or not, depending on how he wants to take it. He hasn't really told her anything about his current plan, but though she's a little curious she doesn't really mind. Still, experience has taught her to make sure he knows the door to doing so is always open. But really, the fact of his good mood is far more important to her than the reason for it.

[Deleted]

Her lips connect with him, and he can't help the smirk from appearing on his face. It really had been too long since they showed any interest in one another. Sometimes it seemed like all they did was argue, and Edward was becoming quite exhausted from the boring repetitive nature of it. He had admittedly started questioning why he was with a woman. Nina was different from most women, but still...she was riddle that was basically solved. Why would he expand his time with it? But feeling her frame against his chest and her lips along his, it reminded him why he had a further fascination with her.

"Besides for having a beautiful woman on top of me?" he said with a smile, his hands still playing her hair.

Things were going well though. He felt good. He felt infamous. The world would know who the Riddler was, and everyone would give him the respect he deserved. His hand moved from her hair, along her cheek, and finally stopping at her lips. His finger grazed across her bottom lip in almost a foreplay way. He prevented himself from pulling her into a kiss. "Things are going splendid," he remarked. His eyes still glued to her lips that his thumb were grazing across. "The FBI will be leaving my city because the United States is too influenced by globalization. I have even given Batman a riddle, but he can't figure it out," he said, his smile grew at the thought, His finger stopped moving on his lips as his eyes jumped skyward. He was lost in his own world for a moment before he was pulled back. "Everything is going my way, but we can't find that too surprising," he smirked and leaned towards her to connect his lips against hers for a moment. No one was as smart as him, and knowing that everything was going his way only made him feel proud and powerful.