Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 6, 2011 6:04:01 GMT -5
Lies, why is he answering me with lies? she has to ask herself as she listens to his reply. A perplexing question, and the confusion on her face is obvious. He hasn't lied to her before - misled her with the truth, certainly, but she suspects that he does that for the challenge of it. And she knows that they're lies because she's seen so many times his very emotional knee-jerk reaction to nearly every other thing that she does. There's something personal going on here, underneath the surface, that she can't quite figure out. And either he doesn't want to talk about badly enough to break his own rule about not lying or... He's lying to himself. And the moment that thought occurs, she realizes that it must be true. Surprised by the idea, she tries to go further, but here's where it starts to get hazy: What is he lying about? She hasn't the slightest idea except that something about her troubles him. A lot.
That fact is probably the closest she can get to a true answer to her questions, and she tucks it neatly into that part of her that's trying to make some sense of all of this. And it's enough, at least, to give the understanding she needs to look at Heather. Some of the grief that she's set aside pokes at her face, but for the most part her expression is deeply thoughtful. There lies her weakness. Or at least, the one to her emotions. But her emotions will be okay; in time they'll heal least as much as she wants them to. Because emotions are not really a weakness for Nina, they're one of her greatest strengths.
And The Riddler doesn't have that same strength, surely. His moods are too short-lived and quick in changing for that, and so often too much like a child's. And there lies his weakness. That and his complete self-assurance that he has everything under control. But unlike him, she knows better than to try to poke at a dragon, even though his jabs at her own weaknesses have presently left her with so little compassion for him that she's much less worried about how unkind or not her actions toward him are than she would have been before (another thing that will take time to heal). Still, perhaps there's something she could use there. Or in any event, she's guessing that she won't lose anything by trying that she won't lose eventually anyway if she doesn't give it a shot.
"Tell me, Sherlock: if I have already been solved, then perhaps you can explain why I let you kill Heather," she says, starting slowly and quietly but getting stronger as she goes along, "And why I cared so little for riddles offered to spare her life. And why I saved myself. And why, if I can break chains, I haven't done so. And why I've never tried to run away from you in any way. And why, since I'm afraid of you, I'm not cowering and begging for mercy. And why, given that healing the pain and much of the function of an eight, give or take a few, year-old crush injury to the leg of someone who refused to get it amputated is well within my capabilities, I haven't tried to use that as a bargaining chip for either Heather's life, my own, or anything else for that matter. And why it's not presently on the table now. And why I'm so willing to mention it now if it isn't. And I'm sure there's more. And I'm also sure that if you've managed to come up with an answer to any of those, it's certainly not the right one." Because all of those thoughts and decisions on her part were made on an emotional level, and if she's right about him then the reasoning behind any of it escapes him. Is that what troubles him about her?
She looks away from Heather and back to The Riddler, knowing that her words are likely to do... something. And it will either help her or harm her, though she's not certain which. He's in some ways just as confusing to her as she is to him - perhaps for the very same reason. A woman with her sensibilities can only vaguely imagine how a mind like his works - though she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't somewhat curious about that.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2011 0:52:41 GMT -5
When he awoke from surgery he screamed. A piercing scream that could rival any mother giving birth. He had never screamed before, not when his father was pounding him to the ground or when he feared his life as the car barely missed him. At that moment he had one thought.
Please, make it stop.
The pain was indescribable, but if he were to attempt to relate it to something, it would be similar to having your leg slowly roasted above hot flames as a person cut deep slashes through your muscles. It had taken immense focus to even hear what the doctors were saying. A normal person would have lost the will to move and given up on everything, but Edward was far from normal. Something in the back of his mind cracked that day. He went silent. The doctor’s were so surprised by the sudden calmness that they thought he was going into shock.
Far from it actually, he was having an epiphany. The dim-witted majority ran society, and he would forever be punished because of it. Plato had foreseen it thousands of years ago within his own society, yet with all the years of advancement we were still unable to cage stupidity…instead it grew faster and faster. The Riddler was born that day while Edward Nigma died. The Riddler would not let pain caused by idiot’s mistakes to affect him, so he forced it away. Surprisingly, ignoring a screaming pain caused a person to focus even more carefully on their task. Not only did Edward managed to walk again (something deemed impossible by the buffoon doctors), but he also increased his already high IQ.
While the accident had been ‘rebirth’ of sorts in his life, that did not mean he hadn’t tried everything to fix it. He studied biology with a focus primarily on muscles pain. He studied the very operation conducted on him. He studied the interactions of nerves and how to heal them. He studied everything dealing with his condition and found no solution. He spent two years studying as he went about his revenge and other riddles…and found nothing. It was probably that very reason why the pain in his leg bothered him even more. He couldn’t solve it.
So when she spoke the only words his mind could grasp around was the statement:
healing the pain and much of the function of an eight, give or take a few, year-old crush injury to the leg of someone who refused to get it amputated is well within my capabilities She could heal his leg.
He understood she had power to manipulate elements on a micro scale using her mind. He also understood she had a large knowledge supply in medical research dealing with micro level biology, but that still didn’t change the fact that his leg was basically dead weight. The only possible way to solve the pain and give him the ability to run would be to grow both the muscle and nerve tissue that had been destroyed….basically to make the rock size jagged gap on his calf disappear. He understood she could manipulate the aspect of the inner body, but could she really grow cells at such an extreme velocity that would both defy the current shape of his leg and reattach muscles that had not been connected in years. Manipulating movement was very different then speeding the process at which the nucleus of the cell divides. It would mean that her telekinesis was much more powerful then he thought.
He couldn’t describe the emotion he was feeling. It reminded him of when his mother had picked him up after one of his father’s attacks.
“It’s all right my little Eddie. It hurts now, but it will never hurt again,” she would coo as she squeezed him tightly in her arms, crying on his hair. He would believe her. He would believe it was all over that they would be happy together. He would never feel the pain of a fist or the jab of kick. He believed his mother would fix it. It would all be okay…until it happened again...and again...and again.
That was the problem when you relied on others to solve your problem. You would hope for the best but always be sorely disappointed. It was the very reason he solved everything on his own. He would be control of his life because when he wasn’t, idiots made mistakes.
While Nina’s admission to his cure came as a surprise, he would have responded the same way if she were actually offering it to him.
No.
He would never again let a person into his body. Never, would he lose control over his life and let another huge mistake ruin it. He lacked the trust for such a thing.
But Nina was right…the fact that she hadn’t used that ability as a bargaining chip was rather unusual. Everything she did was rather unusual, and he felt trapped by her words…as if she had caught him in…a lie.
Had he lied?
No, he couldn’t have. He never lied. He had figured out Nina, he just needed to go over the clues again.
-She didn’t save Heather -She didn’t attempt the riddles -She didn’t break the chains -She didn’t run from him -She didn’t offer him a cure -She didn’t respect him -She didn’t fight the outcomes
As he listed it in his mind, he realized they all had one thing in common. He couldn’t help but let the light laugh escape his lips. It was humorous really. It was so obvious he was surprise he hadn't notice it before.
Everything she did was the exact opposite of what he wanted or expected her to do.
He associated that aspect to her being a challenge (which she no doubt was) but it meant more then that. It meant that she purposely did the opposite of what he wanted (subconscious or consciously). It was possible this was all a mere coincidence, but the Riddler didn’t believe in chance, that was Dent’s field. The only reason she would purposely do that would be to prevent his influence in her choices...to prevent his control over her actions. She didn't want him in control her. He laughed again. She was as much as control freak as him.
“I will admit Nina not only are you beautiful and intelligent, but you are also very dangerous. I can only assume then that your greatest fear is for that dangerous talent to become someone else’s tool. Am I right?” he asked. If someone were oblivious to his entire thought process, they would find the comment rather random, but he knew Nina wouldn’t. Nina would realize that he had gotten a step closer not to solving her power…but to solving her.
He smirked with confidence. No one best the Riddler.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 7, 2011 7:43:41 GMT -5
As The Riddler thinks over her words, Nina waits, her expression dispassionate as she holds back her grief and misery. If she can't think clearly and be very careful right now, then Heather's death really will be meaningless. Is it possible for the dead to feel guilt? She certainly has no wish to find out!
His reaction both eases some of her worries and troubles her - laughter at whatever he's thinking about is a sign that this has turned in a better direction, but she hardly feels like this is the time and place for such an emotion. How can I feel this way about someone so heartless? Now is not the time to ponder that question either. It was odd how the relationship between her emotions and her intellect worked; normally she felt that her feelings enhanced her understanding and therefore helped her to think better. But at times it seemed like her emotions betrayed her - she felt things that ran completely contrary to the logic of the situation. And while she could openly acknowledge that, it didn't mean that she liked it.
The first part of what The Riddler says is at least a partial relief: perhaps now he's starting to respect her just a bit? Too much to expect from him, but not too much to have hope for it. But if so, what made the difference? Was it that she'd explained one among many of the very substantial things that she could do with the combination of her gift and her knowledge of medicine? That was the only new fact that she'd given him. If so, it might be worth her while to encourage him to ponder more on the exact range of her powers... Something to save for later if she needs to.
But the rest of what he says causes a thoughtful frown and a long pause as she mulls over the accuracy of the statement and the best way to phrase her response. "By that question are you saying that you believe I did all of those things simply to resist being controlled by you? That would seem to imply to me that you think that I demand total freedom of will at all times, or take some sort of pleasure in subverting you. No. I only did one of those things out of a desire to not be controlled, and it's a small factor in two others. So... partial credit, I suppose," she replies.
And she knows better than to point out that being able to explain one and a slight portion of two more out of the nine actions she listed is not very much at all. Yes, she recognizes that he's taken a step to solving her. A very small one. If she could find any humor in this situation it would be his assumption that one overarching explanation could possibly explain everything she does. Does he view everyone as being so simple? She's not at all certain that she's more complicated than anyone else, but she does know that she's, perhaps, more aware of her own complexity and better able to explain it than most.
"And I wouldn't call being someone's tool my greatest fear," she continues, "But more specifically my greatest fear that's actually possible. My greatest fears are a bit... irrational, I must admit. But it is the greatest of those that are actually possible." Of course, she's sure that, while possible, that possibility is very, very slim indeed. The proof of that is sitting across from her now.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2011 11:24:49 GMT -5
He had almost gotten use to her dismissive tone, but as always it caused his confidence to falter and an edge of frustration to attach along his skin. He did, however, have to respect her honesty. No matter the situation he put her in she always spoke the truth. It was a simple notion that had been forgotten by the rest of mankind, and while he wanted to stay and analyze the woman further through another tough situation, he remembered his own promise he made. He frowned at the thought of it, but decided to respond first to her annoying dismissal.
“You have to realize Nina that you have fought for your independence every step of this ordeal. At times, admittedly, it felt like I was pushing against a brick wall hoping that I would eventually push through, but, as always, you stayed stubborn to your way,” he commented as he reflected over how frustrating it all had been. The museum, the apartment, the actual riddle, all were so infuriating that his temper had snapped as easily as a twig under the weight of an elephant. But…
It had been fun…in a challenging way. Nina was unlike other woman…unlike other people. She wasn’t a simple formula that could be determined in a matter of minutes, but a complex piece of art and like art never completely understood. He had never considered a person art before…such a title given to such an inferior thing would have insulted him only a few weeks ago…but Nina was different.
No. What was he doing?
He tried to focus elsewhere like her words on fear. Irrational? “I’m sure nothing about you is irrational,” his thoughts left his mouth before he could stop them. He frowned. He never spoke so rash. This woman was causing him to make…mistakes. He never made mistakes.
Focus. She’s only a person…a person that will be out of your life soon enough. The riddle is over...yes it has to be.
The thought caused a mixture of emotion. He felt joy that he would never have to feel so…like this again, but also disappointed that their lively banter was coming to an end. “On another note, I promised one of you would walk out alive, and since one of you,” he paused and glanced at the dead woman with a huge hole in her head, “is let say incapacitated the option goes to you. You didn’t cheat so your life is yours. Would you like Allen to set you free or do you want to prove to yourself you can get out alone?” He wasn’t smirking. He wasn’t frowning. His face only showed indifference. Life would go back to normal now that Nina Stenet was out of it.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 7, 2011 19:46:48 GMT -5
"If I'd wanted to be difficult, I could have made it a lot worse. But yes, my stubbornness is one of my better qualities," Nina replies without a trace of humor in her tone. Being hard-headed is often taken as a vice, but she sees it as a good thing when wisely applied. This situation, for example: by sticking to what she believes in, she's gotten everything she needed from it.
But absolutely nothing else. Which she takes as proof of a thought that she's had in the back of her mind for quite some time: the two of them are, in sum total, equals or nearly so. She may be no match for his intelligence, but he's no match for her will. Of course, he has other powerful traits, but so does she. And though she has plenty of weaknesses for him to exploit, so does he. And is there anything more dangerous than two well-matched, dangerous people being at odds with each other? Which is why, for all his pushing, she's never once tried to push back. Yet, anyway. There are limits to what she can tolerate, and he's gotten very, very close to them - in fact she's surprised that she hasn't reached them yet.
His comment on her rationality draws her thoughts back. If she were in a different mood, she would have laughed at it. Instead she merely comments, "Then I'm sure that if you could read my mind you'd be very surprised." Of course, she's irrational. She often embraces her own irrationality, and the rest of the time she simply has to accept it. There are just some parts of herself that she can try to talk sense to all she likes without it changing anything.
One of them comes to the surface right now; many would treat the news that they had 'earned' their life with jubilation, or at least relief. She has to quite obviously fight back another wave of guilt and grief. The guilt, she knows, is irrational. Could she have managed to get both of them out of here? She's not sure. Perhaps, and maybe she should have tried. Maybe she should have done one of a thousand things differently. But it didn't change the fact that her only fault was in not stopping it; and perhaps by stopping it she would have gotten them both killed. But no matter how many times she argues that point with herself, it will do nothing to ease the guilt.
It takes her a few moments to set that feeling aside again; he's asked her a question. And she doesn't really have to consider it much before she answers, "I have no desire to prove myself to myself, but that doesn't mean I want any help." No, it feels somehow wrong for her to choose the easy way out now. Perhaps she feels the need to punish herself for doing something she doesn't think she should feel guilty about - and he thinks that she's rational!
Her eyes immediately lower back to that link of chain she'd experimented with before - one that's part of the strand securing her right hand, but a short distance away from those that actually touch her. While she hasn't the slightest idea how much her shaking of the metal before had translated into actual temperature, it had been hot enough at that small point to burn her then and she's going to do even more of it now. Her expression becomes focused again, but if the Riddler watches her carefully enough he'd see her eyes unfocus slightly - the same expression that anyone has when they reach somewhere they can't see, eyes sometimes shifting in concert with the movements of her invisible gift.
She frowns slightly in frustration a few times, and it takes her a full half minute before she tries to flex her wrist to apply what force she can against the weakened chain. And nothing happens. Undaunted, she thinks quickly for a moment before muttering "neuronal action potential" to herself. She looks at her arm for a few seconds with that slightly unfocused look, and then flexes her wrist again. This time the weakened link gives with some reluctance to her quick jerk, and the broken ends can be seen glowing very faintly with heat. A small victory, something she's said that she hasn't done before, and yet there isn't a hint of pleasure in it on her face. Instead her attention simply shifts to the rope on her forearm.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2011 0:24:39 GMT -5
When she insisted that she would handle the situation herself, he had not been surprised. He had hoped that would be her decision. It would be interesting seeing the effects of her power on objects instead of the body. Therefore, he merely nodded and leaned his elbow along his armrest as he watched.
What he saw was something above expectation…the power behind her eyes, the thoughtful expression along her features, the barely but perfectly calculated movements, each action reminded him of watching an artist along the pathway within the Tuileries Garden. The artist seemed to be in completely different world that was full of things unimaginable to him, the poor sap stuck in reality. The artist saw something different out of the simplest of thing and used that to create beauty. The very look he had witnessed from painter after painter was the very same look pronounced on Nina’s face. She was seeing something different from him…something he would never be able to see. Where he saw a chain, she saw an escape. His hand naturally went up to his mouth as he leaned closer to the screen.
It took all of his focus to even tare his attention away from her face that had captivated him. He went to the chain. Nothing appeared to be happening, but he knew that was far from the case. He watched as Nina’s arm jerked upwards to only be stopped by it. It wasn’t until her arm went back to her previous position that he noticed the slightly reddening of her skin. It wasn’t the reddening given by pressure, but the reddening that occurred along the skin when it was agitated by heat. He smirked behind his palm. She was heating up by increasing the speed of the atoms in the metal to weaken it. She was more then just an artist but a genius in her own rank.
Her words that were spoken to herself and not to him, broke him out of the strange trance he had gotten himself into. The statement seemed vaguely familiar. He knew it was related to biology and more particular the influence of a cell’s membrane. It had something to do with a spark…or…he couldn’t quite place it. It had been three years since he had seriously studied biology. Reading over Nina’s book earlier tonight was the first text he had read over on microbiology in a long time. But he really didn’t have time to contemplate it because in a moment she jerked her arm through the chain. It must have strengthened the power behind her muscle for a few moments. He heard the chain slowly slide off her and clash against the ground.
It was rather spectacular to witness. He almost wanted to applaud. “I’m quite impressed,” he stated even though his tone almost sounded bored. It wasn’t that he was actually bored, he was just more caught up in his own thoughts. It was such an amazing power, yet she chose to keep it hidden. She could have done anything. She could have used the power to further any career she chose but she chose medical research. She obviously valued human life, but for some reason she decided to let Heather die. He partially understood why…but not fully. “I’m curious. You don’t have to answer, but I’m wondering why you chose your particular career field. Did your mother die from an incurable sickness? Did you go to the hospital one day and decide I want to make these people better? There usually is a reason behind what we do and from what I gathered of your history I couldn’t find one. Or are you just a good person, Nina.” The last response was sarcastic not because Nina wasn’t a good person, but because every person looked out for themselves before they considered others. Good was merely a tool the political leaders put in place to manipulate the weak and stupid.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 8, 2011 3:11:47 GMT -5
Up until now the ropes had been ignored, and there was a very good reason for that. Unlike solid metal, full of molecules evenly arranged by the heat used in their creation, the fibers in a rope are less carefully arranged; some are more critical to the strength of the whole than others. And beyond that, rope is not solid, so even a rope that looks like it's the same thickness as a chain has, in reality a lot less substance to it. She lifts her forearm as far as it goes to put some strain on the most important fibers, and sets to work breaking those while ignoring the rest. And this is much more like what she's used to doing with her gift; whether in a body or outside of it, finding and cutting specific targets is pretty much the same thing, so this is merely time-consuming and not actually all that difficult.
So while she ignores the comment about the chain, she's willing to entertain the idea of answering the question because it won't slow her down. But this is a question that Nina views differently than most, and that's evident by just how far back her story begins. "I was a 'smart kid'. Not just with my grades - I was extremely precocious. I got along much better with adults than my peers, so of course the others teased me. 'Teacher's pet' they called me. And I never did have very many friends to tell them to stop it. Well, of course I got angry, wanted to tease them back. And I did - for awhile. But then I realized something: being teased hurt. And how could I do that to someone else when I knew exactly how much it hurt? I felt so sorry for them every time, that I had to stop. And when I wouldn't fight back, the teasing got even worse and I cried instead. 'Crybaby'..."
Her voice is completely dispassionate as she talks about this, and perhaps that would be mistaken as a part of all the other negative emotions that she's obviously holding back on at the moment, or that the teasing she hadn't really been that bad. But actually it's that she came to terms with this particular pain from her past and she's moved on - the memory doesn't hurt her anymore.
About this time she feels the rope starting to weaken and she pauses in her story to throw as much force against it as she can with her limited ability to move her lower arm. The rope gives, but not quite all the way. Still, it's loosened enough that she just manages to grab it with her fingers, and her hand is strong enough to break through the rest. When she continues talking she's using the extra mobility that provides to clear away the rest of the rope and chain connected to what she's already broken so that she can more easily see what's been taken care of. "I learned a lot during that time about what it was like to hurt, and whenever I saw anyone else hurting for any reason I wanted to make the hurt go away. I probably would have gone into psychiatry if my talents hadn't led me in a slightly different direction - there's only so much that's physical about the mind."
Now free up to her right elbow, Nina pauses to consider the rest of her bindings. It would be a lot easier if she had a better perspective on them, but the ropes and chains seem to disappear on one side of her and reappear on the other and it's difficult to imagine what they're doing out of sight. And while she could just simply pick them off one by one at random, it'll be a lot faster to take them in a particular order. Which is why she started with the hand and forearm - now she can apply the strength of her dominant hand to a substantial portion of the rest of her. And after a moment of thought, her hand goes up to the chain holding her neck, and her fingers follow it over her right shoulder as far as she can reach. She can't see this bit of chain, but it's stopping her from seeing a large portion of the rest of her and thus it has to go. And feeling where it is with her hand makes it easier for her to 'aim', much like being able to see it first. Her eyes unfocus and she's back to actually concentrating again - chains are much more difficult for her than ropes.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2011 22:06:11 GMT -5
He listened carefully as he watched her slowly cut through the rope. He understood how teasing could effect a person’s ideas and opinions. He had been teased growing up as well, but he learned to brush off comments of imbeciles pretty easily. He was surprised at her logic. She wanted to help people in pain because she had felt pain.
When the rope fell away her eyes gazed off into that artistic world she could only see. Her conversation had immediately stopped as if her focus couldn’t be divided. Chains must be more difficult then rope. “Couldn’t you easily change that personal experience into another realization…” he spoke his thoughts aloud. He had respect for the woman, but part of him wished she would understand the reasons behind his actions…understand his philosophy. “People are fickle mean creatures. You could heal one that contracted a disease, but all you really are doing is expanding the length of time that person has to be mean to other innocence. In other words, each person you heal can go off and cause more pain. If you were to let them die, you would actually decrease the pain in the world,” he argued.
Even though her focus was elsewhere he had no doubt that she heard him, and he was prepared for a counter argument. The whole ordeal was rather strange. It felt like he was having this discussion on a date with an interesting potential girl friend instead of watching her escape ropes and chains. A date…he hadn’t been on a date in years…unless you counted the dinner with his shrink. He wouldn’t even know how to go about it…oh who was he kidding. He could put together the most romantic date any man had even thrown. A date was not much of a riddle. It would be simple.
“What’s from the Middle East can be chewed or sipped, but, be prepared, if consumed in large amounts your reality starts to shifts?” he fumbled out the riddle randomly and unknowingly as his thoughts were distracted by his imaginary date. But for some reason as he kept playing out a date, the Batman kept interrupting and ruining it.
His thoughts went to the Batman. It had been awhile since he had been confronted. Was the Batman losing his edge, or was the Riddler not top priority anymore? He frowned at that thought. He would have to make his next riddle larger…maybe he could involve Nina…
No. No. He was finished with her.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
~ Character Profile
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 9, 2011 0:42:42 GMT -5
The second bit of chain proves to be easier than the first; as with anything, a new technique comes easier after a little practice. In fact, it takes her only two thirds of the time before she forces her hand between the chain and her neck and gives it a careful, but strong tug. The place where it breaks is completely behind her back, and she's careful to make sure that the loose end doesn't touch her when the link snaps; hot metal is nothing to fool around with at such close quarters and while she still can't move a good portion of her body.
And when that effort is over, she allows her thoughts to focus on his words as she stretches her newly freed neck. "That's an interesting point," she comments, but is quick to add, "But those who are mean don't always remain mean, just as those who are kind don't always stay kind. And as I am unable to judge the current or future acts of anyone, that idea would suggest that I ought to not help anyone. But it's been my experience that the number of kind people are in the majority, so helping is a net benefit. And that those who cause the most hurt to others are those who have been hurt the most themselves. So I take the philosophy that a rising tide lifts all boats."
Though this may seem like a date to the Riddler, who can relax in a comfortable chair and doesn't trouble himself much about the recent happenings, for Nina this is an ordeal of sorts. Frankly, she makes what she's doing look easy and her emotions are about as raw as they get. And though she's chosen to make this more difficult for herself, that doesn't mean that she doesn't want to get out of here as fast as she can - though she must admit that as she does so, the conversation is a convenient distraction from any thoughts that don't have to do with the ropes and chains.
She pauses again to consider them again, this time taking advantage of being able to see better with her neck free. The long lengths that keep her upper arms and shoulders against the back of the chair are inspected, and she starts tugging experimentally with her free hand at this chain or that rope in an effort to try and get a better idea of how they connect to each other behind her back. One of them has to be more important than the others, and she means to identify it. Absorbed in that task, she doesn't pay much conscious attention to the riddle but comments with a small hint of irritation, "You could say that about pretty much any fruit that happens to grow in the Middle East." She's not in the mood to be pondering over random riddles that don't have anything to do with anything! However, a moment or two later, she adds, "Dates, maybe." At least, that's the only fruit she can think of off the top of her head that comes from that region. But what that has to do with anything escapes her.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2011 21:49:16 GMT -5
“We have a very different experience then,” he remarked to her argument. He had yet to meet a person who was genuinely nice. While he admits everyone has nice moments, there was always a hidden agenda behind it. Like a person who volunteers, they don’t volunteer to help, but rather, they volunteer because they want to feel good about themselves or prove to other people how good they are. “If you don’t care about a person past because you cannot predict the future, why then are you reluctant to help me? Is there no possibility I could change?” he asked pointing out the flaw in her logic. He would never accept her help, but he wanted to see if his theory was correct. He wanted to see if the major reason she would not offer it was because she was afraid of being used by him…or if she was only being a hypocrite, and the real reason was she didn’t want to help a ‘bad’ person.
It surprised him for a moment when she solved the riddle.
One because she solved it. Two because he hadn’t realized he’d given it.
His slightly shock expression was there for the briefest of seconds before he collected himself once again. He needed to stop thinking about Nina in a relationship type of way. It kept causing him to slip up and leave…riddles…to his feelings.
What feelings?
He had not feelings. He glanced down at the tootsie pop wrapper. For some reason, he had no dying urge to have one. Strange. He then noticed his notes, and the riddle he had planned to give the Batman…who had never showed. No wonder Nina had become the focus of his thoughts. His other chess opponent had disappeared. “Nina, may I ask a favor of you?” he stated still looking over his notes.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
~ Character Profile
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 10, 2011 0:06:31 GMT -5
With each tug of a chain or rope, the picture of what they do behind her back grows. And she can be seen nodding to herself as she selects one of the ropes and holds it in her hand - obviously the one to cut in her opinion because she pulls it tight and gets that look in her eyes.
But though she's able to keep enough focus on the rope to not let it interrupt her, his questions cause a tired sort of sadness to cross her face. His lack of perspective on her situation is simply astonishing to her. Well, time to enlighten him a little. "Because nobody has ever hurt me so badly before, and now... I just don't know what I think right now," she says quietly, before adding with a stronger voice, "And even before that - I don't think it's unreasonable for me to withhold things when I have reason to be concerned for my personal safety. And before that - if I helped everyone I run into who could use my help, I wouldn't have time for anything else. And I help a lot more people by spending a day in the lab than I'd ever be able to help by spending a day in a hospital. That's why."
How he reacts to her answer to the riddle goes unnoticed: partly because she hadn't really been trying very hard and partly because her full attention now turns to the rope in her hand. With a strong tug it breaks in two, and as she unwinds the rest of it from both ends, it's obvious she chose the one that was the tightest. And her attention turns immediately to a chain that she'd identified earlier. Holding it loosely in her hand, her eyes go to where it disappears behind her before they become distant with a more concentrated focus. She can't actually see it, though perhaps the Riddler can, but she's identified a chain that heads straight into a padlock. It's too hard for her to tell how many chains meet at that point, but it's certainly more effective to take out the chains where they connect rather than breaking them one by one.
It's difficult for her to focus on the metal and to talk at the same time, but his last question is simple enough to answer. "That depends on the favor," she replies distractedly - probably not an unexpected answer unless the Riddler is concerned that she'd say 'no' just to be difficult.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2011 0:31:52 GMT -5
He felt some pride in knowing he was changing her ridiculous notion, but he didn’t appreciate the depressed look in her eyes when she stated it. He also did not appreciate being the blame of her pain. He still firmly believed it was her choice to let the girl die, but the only sign of irritation could be seen in his risen eyebrow before his face turned blank again. He would not defend himself again. He was right. She was wrong. She would learn over time that everyone must be held responsible for their own decisions instead of pushing the blame onto others. Her reasoning for not healing him in the beginning was interesting. It gave him a more detailed picture of the type of person she was. He was starting to realize that while aspect of their personality were very similar, their ideological views were very different. It was probably why they could have such interesting thought challenging conversations.
“You obviously believe helping the overall public is much more important than any individual. If you had choose between saving your mother or saving hundreds of people would you still choose the public good? And if you chose your mother, what made that individual more valuable then the others? Is right for you to label which person is more important then another?” he challenged her. They were all thoughts he had come to terms to himself. He had realized that no one deserved any respect unless they themselves earned it. To him people were dirt until they proved him otherwise.
He noticed Nina’s focus on the chains. It was impressive that she could still have such an interesting conversation with him while escaping. He wondered if she was annoyed by his banter, but why would he care. When he saw the padlock move as she shifted, he realized her plan. He smirked. She would be out of the chair in a little bit. “The favor is easy. You will be visited by the Batman or one of his brats very soon, and I only need a message to be delivered,” he responded politely.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
~ Character Profile
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 10, 2011 2:43:54 GMT -5
Was he changing her opinion? Perhaps he was, perhaps he wasn't. When Nina said that she doesn't know what she thinks, she means simply that. She hasn't had the time to figure out what any of this means to her. But she knows that she's going to have to do that, and the sooner the better. Holding onto something so painful is like holding onto a hot coal; the longer you hold it, the more it burns you.
She doesn't respond immediately this time; it requires too much of her attention to first locate and then figure out the best way to break it, and it slows her considerably to have to do this without being able to even see or touch it. It's all too easy to get lost when you're feeling something at such a small scale. It takes her a full minute to locate it, feel around until she's certain that she's found the part that keeps the lock from opening, and weaken the metal in that part. Then she simply throws as much weight as she can against the chains around her upper body, figuring that many of them would link to that padlock, and uses her free hand to also pull against the one chain that she knows for certain leads to it. There's an audible click when the padlock fails, and at the same time a few of the chains around her upper body come loose. More are simply caught on each other and simply need to be tugged free.
"It isn't right," Nina agrees with his logic as she pulls each chain in turn off of her shoulders, "That's why I've come to love statistics. They give me an unbiased way to decide where my attention is most needed. Still, it's difficult to pass the individual by, and I have to recognize that I'm human. I don't give myself much free time, but what I do in it is my business. And there are many people who have had the good fortune of having a problem obvious enough for me to notice but small enough for me to take care of quickly and to remain in my presence long enough." But if Nina takes any sense of pride in that, it doesn't show on her face. She'd come to the opposite conclusion of the Riddler: everyone is valuable and therefore deserves her help but, since it's impossible for her to help everyone, she feels the need to do as much as she can.
Now she has all the freshly loosened chains off of her upper body, leaving her primarily bound by rope. But many of those ropes have been loosened due to the other bonds removed, and Nina's able to lower her right shoulder far enough to get it under the remaining ropes, and lifts her entire arm straight up so that they rest on top of her shoulder. This both entirely frees her right arm and loosens the ropes around her left shoulder, which she can now remove by using her free hand and arm to lift them over her head. This leaves her left arm only bound from elbow to hand, but with her upper arm free it's easy enough to simply shift her arm so that she can slide the whole thing out backward - no need for further tedious cutting with her mind there.
Within a few short moments, she's bound only from the waist down, and she immediately starts to untie the remaining ropes by hand, now that they're both available. Dealing with large objects the conventional way is almost always easier, though she'll probably still need to use her powers to get out of the remaining chains. Then again, with as much mobility as she's just gained, she's obviously going to make short work of them.
When the favor is described, she nods her head. She hadn't been thinking about Gotham's self-appointed heroes at all, though when he mentions them it's obvious enough to her that he's right that she'll be contacted by one. And they'll probably want to know exactly what happened, she'll probably tell them everything, and that probably won't help them very much at all. And there would be no harm in her passing along a message; that would simply be a convenience for him since he could always find another way to contact them if she refused. "I can do that. What's the message?"
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Last Edit: Mar 10, 2011 4:16:55 GMT -5 by Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2011 3:16:46 GMT -5
He couldn’t help the legitimate smile that crossed his face as he watched the woman wiggle in the bounds. It wasn’t arrogant or taunting, but instead genuine. The deadly serious expression on her face while she wiggled around like a trapped caterpillar was too…adorable…no hilarious. He almost laughed right there, but he knew she would take offense. The action might be humorous, but it was also amazing. She had managed to break the padlock and gain freedom to her upper body. He should have been watching the time. He could have determined whether the gas would have filled the room killing her or if she would have escaped in time. Just estimating it, he determined it could have gone either way. However, impending death caused a person to hurry.
After she was partially free she responded to his statements. She was doing what most politicians do in these types of debates…partially agree with both sides so there is nothing to argue. She agreed that it wasn’t right to chose which individual deserve favor, but admitted that it happens. She’s only human. It ruined his argument because she accepted it. “So your individual help is only given based on the luck of the individual. Harvey will be happy to know his cynical life view is more accurate then I believed it to be,” he commented somewhat sarcastically. Mostly out of annoyance that he couldn’t think of a better argument, but how can you convince someone that there opinion wrong when they already admit to its faults.
He watched as her hands started working on the rest of the ropes and chains. He was happy she agreed to give the message. He wondered why she acted so causally around him even though she admitted multiple occasions that she was afraid and mad at him. He rarely noticed either emotion.
“Riddles and jokes are no fun unless they’re shares with everyone. Batman will understand, and please remember to say it the exact same way or it loses its purpose,” he said knowing she would easily and successfully complete the task.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
~ Character Profile
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Post by Nina Stenet on Mar 10, 2011 5:38:51 GMT -5
Time always seemed to be the main constraint of her gift to Nina. She could move a mountain with her gift - it would simply take a very long time. The real genius of it has always been the way she uses it; always target the weakest point where a minimum of effort would produce the most results. And also to always use it in the best way. Without that insight on how to melt the metal, she'd still be carving away at the first link. Instead she'll free herself from the chair in just under six minutes, and much of that time was spent in thought. And if she had to do it all over again, she'd be notably faster simply due to having had so much practice melting metal.
The sarcastic comment doesn't seem to phase her at all. "Life's not fair," she responds, "Fairness is an ideal I stopped taking seriously a long time ago. Not that I don't try to be fair, but I know from the beginning that I won't succeed." And as she says this she pauses to look up at Heather, the now familiar expression of sadness tugging at her features for a moment before she looks back down at the ropes and continues untying them.
Nina pauses once more to carefully store the message to memory after the Riddler gives it, repeating it quietly to herself once and nodding at the importance of the wording. If Batman doesn't figure out what it means, then it won't be because she didn't deliver it correctly.
That done, she removes the last of the rope and turns her attention to the chains. Is there another padlock? She's still too confined in her chair to see, but she manages to find it with her fingers. And the difference that makes plus the fact that she's done it once is striking; the first had taken a full minute, while knowing the exact location of the second and not having to figure it out again cuts the time down to a mere fifteen seconds from first touch to the quick jerk of her legs that actually breaks it. And after that it's easy enough to pull the chains off of her lap and pull her legs out of the rest. She is free.
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