To Scare A Mockingbird [The Penguin]

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

[Note: takes place several Months after Broken Jigsaw]

Dr. Crane was lost in deep thought as the taxi moved him through the streets of North Gotham. He was lost in the events that had transpired not too many months ago. Rather than where he was going he never said another word to the driver himself who was being overly friendly. The doctor ignored him as the gears kept turning in his mind. The events that had transpired were not entirely a waste. It gave him a new insight into a fellow Professional Criminal and had sparked an idea for what might have been his greatest invention yet.

There was a problem with his current situation however. The chemicals and the testing that he would have to do, the supplies he needed would cost money. Even test subjects themselves were not entirely free. The chemicals that he needed to sedate them at certain points and keep them in a controllable state were not free. Luckily he was able to make most of his medicines he used, but the base chemicals were still needed. Since he no longer had the income coming in from Arkham, all of his money was either gained through trading his toxin, or taking money from his victims. Robbing banks, and grand theft, he would leave that to the lesser criminals, he felt to be below himself. Money was just paper to him, something that other people could worry about and handle. He just wanted enough for his work, for his research.

The Iceberg Lounge was actually the last place in Gotham he wanted to be heading to right now. He hadn't told the driver to take him there but to an intersection that wasn't far away. He hadn't much cared for this part of town or the people in this part of town. But it was difficult to find anyone that Dr. Crane enjoyed. He had avoided this place like the plague for months for several reasons. He certainly wouldn't be ordering another drink until he had a long talk with The Peguin. But he wasn't here to make bad blood with Nigma nor was he here to enact revenge upon the Penguin for letting it happen on his watch. He had much darker motive for going to meet with The Peguin unannounced tonight.

Life jumped into his eyes again as the car came to a less than graceful stop at a stop light. They were almost there. He padded himself for a moment to make sure he had everything he needed. His mask was tucked within his suit jacket as flat as he could get it with the external gas mask attached to it. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. He checked his bottom pockets making sure he had his powder in his right pocket and then slid his hands to the top inner straps of his suit. Three syringes were tightly strapped in all holding a glowing yellow liquid. He had everything he needed.

The Taxi driver was still talking...Had he not noticed that Dr. Crane had not spoken to him once since he told him where to drop him off? Just when he was sure he couldn't stand the man a moment longer he asked a question that interested him. 'Hey, Haven't I seen you before somewhere?' The driver asked him looking into the rear view at Dr. Crane. A sinister smile escaped as he lifted his piercing blue eyes to the mirror to look back at the man. “Are you Scared?” the doctor said softly from the back seat, how could he resist?

The Taxi driver slammed on his breaks and the car came to a screeching halt. He was close enough to where he wanted to be dropped off anyway, the walk couldn't hurt and at this time of night no one would recognize him in the dark. The fear in the mans eyes was enough to satisfy Dr. Crane not giving the man another thought or moment of his time. He exited the vehicle and let the driver speed off without even getting a chance to pay him. With that he began to walk towards his destination, The Iceberg Lounge.

Arriving at his destination after a short walk the doorman had let him through. Their eyes never met, he never said a word to them, the never had. His eyes gazed about the bustling restaurant all manner of criminal doing whatever they did best. Enjoying their drinks and enjoying their women. He walked to the far side of the room right passed the lady that would have escorted him to his usual booth. He didn't want to go anywhere near it at the moment. He didn't want to sit and enjoy himself, and he didn't want a drink by any means. He came to a stop at the entrance to the more private sectors of the lounge and turned to a young lady who sat at a round desk beside the entrance. She looked up at him and his eyes met hers. For a moment he said nothing to her. 'Can I help you?' she said with a rather uninterested tone.

“I am here to see Mr. Cobblepot...” Dr. Crane stated to her with full intention to bypass her if need be. He was going to see The Peguin tonight whether he was taking visitors or not. She looked down at her papers for a moment and back up to Dr. Crane. 'Mr. Cobblepot is very busy and he's not seeing anyone right now' She said with a bit of a forced smile and went back to her work in an effort to shut him down from speaking to her further.

“I see..” he said while moving a bit closer to her on one of the outer openings of the round desk. Her attention immediately went back to him and her eyes darted about to the several bouncers that were ever watchful over the lounge. Not that they ever did the place any good. As she tried to rise from her seat Dr. Crane grabbed her by the shoulder and locked eyes with her. With a bit of force he pressed her back down into her seat. “You're going to go get Mr. Cobblepot and tell him he has a visitor, with a business proposition.” His voice was dark and demanding, he dared her to do anything rather than what he said.

With a small whimper escaping her lips he released his hand from her shoulder. Shaken the young lady stood up and went back into the private area of the lounge. If she did as he said he expected her to come back with The Penguin who hopefully would invite him back to speak with him, after seeing who it was that wanted to speak with him. Dr. Crane had a feeling that he would be more than willing, although resentful as it may be, considering what had happened.

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Oswald was busy. When wasn't he though? A pile of reports into the back dealing of one of Gotham's mobs had been strewn across his desk as he idly stroked the feathers of a small kestrel who was perching on his desk lamp, making him a great deal less annoyed at the news of what appeared to be someone trying to move in on his turf. They would be escorted to their proper place in Gotham's pecking order soon enough. Probably by force.

The intercom buzzed, disturbing his focus and a quick glance showed it to be security. Try never simply buzzed when something was going badly wrong. No, something much have shown up on the cameras, unlikely to be desperate but he continually added to the list of things to alert him about. Hitting a button on his desk one of the walls started to lift to show a feed from the main, more visible cameras in the lounge. As he turned to watch them he hit the intercom to answer it "This had better be important" the response came quickly, they knew the drill well "The Scarecrow is here. Main camera three"

Adjusting his monocle his eyes fixed on the right monitor and he flicked off the intercom again without a word. There indeed was Jonathan. Usually a visit to the lounge from the doctor wouldn't go past a quick note in the security log but the last time Oswald saw the man he was being hauled out by one of Eddie's goons. Truthfully he expected he would have been back sooner after escaping the riddle but all Oswald had done was ensure the gas-masks were checked and that the security team knew to look out for him.

A visit so long after the event to Ozzy suggested either he'd correctly assumed he couldn't mess with the Penguin or he'd been plotting. Oswald didn't particularly care what the rogues did in the lounge so long as he was properly compensated for looking the other way and it didn't hurt business. Edward understood that sort of arrangement well. Still, when one of the rogues returned in a bad mood it could be inconvenient.

He watched Crane bypass his usual routine and head straight for his private sector to manhandle his staff. A small frown appeared, of course he didn't care about the girl but disrespecting Oswald's staff was one small step towards disrespecting Oswald.

He saw the lady head back into his private rooms and hit the intercom again without taking his eyes off the cameras, this time his secretary was on the other end "What does he want?" For a moment the woman was confused but less than a second later the lady from the front desk burst in to start explaining to the secretary. Oswald heard it all. A business proposition. Well this was interesting, clearly it was either a trap or Jon was desperate "I will be out momentarily, have Mike and Terry meet me at the door" he smoothly ordered, this time surprising the lady from the front desk who didn't know he'd been listening in.

He shifted the files on his desk into a locked door and hid the cameras behind the wall again before finally donning his top hat and umbrella and moving the kestrel back to her cage. No sense leaving anything useful in plain sight in his office just because he wasn't expecting to bring anyone inside. It would be better to keep Crane in the open where the general public would keep him from drawing attention to himself but that wouldn't exactly do much for Oswald's public image and it was likely to be a conversation he didn't want overheard, a private room would suffice though that certainly didn't mean the surveillance stopped and he had no intention of going alone.

Terry and Mike. Some said Oswald was over compensating by getting the largest goons he could find but he had the pick of the bunch and chose them not only for their size but the fact they weren't completely mind-numbingly stupid and knew when to keep their mouths shut. If he was trying to be a suave businessman he preferred to surround himself with beautiful women, when dealing with rogues though he liked to keep a lot of muscle around, it was only practical.

The pair flagged the comparatively tiny Penguin as finally the doors reopened and Oswald made his greetings and tipped his hat to the waiting Scarecrow "Dr Crane, my dear fellow, I hope your time away from us here at the lounge has been treating you well. Do come in, I hear you have a proposition for me to consider" polite and courteous as he always behaved outside of his own staff he gestured the way with a gloved hand before he began to lead on to the more private conference room he kept out of sight of the public and occasionally rented out to foolish people who hadn't yet worked out the place was bugged.

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

There was a reason behind the length of time that he had waited to act between when the incident happened and now. It wasn't for revenge. If it was the revenge would have been misplaced, it wasn't The Penguin that made it happen it was Edward Nigma. Dr. Crane was sure that even if he had not come to the lounge that night he would have found him still. The result would have inevitably been the same eventually.

The events that had transpired did open up a window of opportunity. The Penguin would probably believe that he was here for some sort of revenge or at least a complaint against him. This would work in his favor, in his eyes at least. The real question that came to mind was, what does Mr. Cobblepot fear?

The question got him into more trouble with villains than anything. It was a question that he found very difficult to restrain from thinking about or resisting. Villains didn't often give up their fears willingly, and were quite a bit harder to scare than normal society. Dr. Crane knew that everyone was driven by fear, especially the outlasted of society. Gotham University had taught him that sociopaths were incapable of feeling one or more of the six basic emotions that a human was born with. There was more to this however, as he protested to them and challenged their thought. He didn't believe that they were detached from certain emotions, he also didn't believe that fear was among one of the six. Fear was the only primary, the rest all came after. Challenging their thinking lead to unfortunate events...

A woman had approached him while he waited. She was tall young and pretty, dressed in a Penguin appropriate outfit. A small rather revealing, yet proper black dress. She carried a tray of various drinks and asked him if he wanted one while he waited. His eyes darted to the tray for a moment seeing one in particular of a green color The thought alone made his stomach turn. His eyes met with hers and didn't turn away. He watched her eyebrows pull in and he posture lean back a bit. She was uncomfortable with him...Scared? He never said a word to her, his silence on the subject was enough. She left him and hurried away to tend to more guests. Finally turning from her he leaned against the wall near the doors to lose himself in thought.

Life jumped into Dr. Cranes eyes again as the doors beside him came open. He moved away from the wall he leaned against and watched Mr. Cobblepot make his entrance. Ever polite did The Peguin remain, even if underneath was a very crooked man. “Mr. Cobblepot...” He greeted in reply. It wasn't much of a greeting, his not quite relaxed posture remained the same as he studied him. The comment had made him want to reply that the time away from the lounge was certainly healthier than the recent time he had spent here, but it was best not to bring it up here, or now.

Unless he knew he had control of the area, Dr. Crane never did well in public or around crowds. That was why Nigma's plan went as perfectly as it did, he got him out of his element and into a setting he wasn't good at dealing with. The fact that he was invited back wasn't a surprise to him but he wondered just how prepared The Penguin was for his visit. Getting Dr. Crane in a one on one setting was extremely dangerous. He wouldn't underestimate him however, he knew that the man in front of him could handle himself.

He followed him to the private room and walked inside behind him with caution. For the moment he said nothing, he wanted to judge exactly what was going through his mind. It would determine whether the events of a few months prior needed to be discussed at all. Anyone who knew Dr. Crane knew that he never made friendly visits. There was always a hidden motive, something he wanted to use them for. The Penguin knew this, that’s why it was best to tell him it was about business and nothing more. Let the gears turn and the anticipation build, let the anxiety set in...let the fear unfold..

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Oswald noted the lack of comment in return to his words about Jon's time away, perhaps he really had wisely moved on and this was indeed to be business. Then again unless he was prattling on about fear Crane had always struck Oswald as a man of few words. At least a verbal sword-fight with Eddie could be entertaining, Crane was mostly depressing. Business though was business, even Jon could have his uses.

If there was a hidden motive Ozzy didn't seem to be worried about it, he was on his home turf, with Crane outnumbered and if the Scarecrow thought he only hid things in his umbrellas he'd be sorely mistaken, particularly when it came to the private rooms of the club. He kept in mind a great deal of possibilities to best the Scarecrow but it didn't really show, outwardly Oswald didn't appear to be fearing anything currently as he entered the conference room.

The room itself seemed purely designed for meetings with a large polished wood table big enough to sit about thirty people taking up the room. Oswald pulled out a chair for Jon four down from his own at the head of the table, he preferred to sit out of arm's reach "Please, have a seat my friend" he gestured to the chair as he sat down himself, Mike and Terry taking up their places either side of his chair.

Oswald was very good at hiding his own motives until it was far too late to do anything about them, if Jon wished to discuss past events Ozzy was leaving it up to him, otherwise he'd consider the matter ended with Edward. He merely considered that others would be angry, he didn't care if they were and he certainly wasn't here to fix their little grudges unless they wanted to pay him to.

His hand moved to hover over the phone on the table nearest his seat "Would you care for a drink Jon, or will it be straight down to business?" it was innocent enough, Oswald had no grudge against Crane currently, if the doctor came for less than friendly reasons he'd settle things then, not before. Any anticipation just seemed to be running off the Penguin like water, perhaps a large part of the reason was he didn't really care and considered himself to firmly have the upper hand over Crane.

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

Dr. Crane went over carefully in his mind how The Penguin worked. He functioned inside and outside of the law, different from most of Gotham's Profession Criminals. He was still able to function as a standing member of society. He was able to as well at one point in his life. But he never considered what he had done to be immoral. That was societies excuse for getting rid of him, for stripping him of everything.

They had freed him in a sense. Now he didn't have to operate like the short burly man in front of him did. Now he could do his research without limitations. As a result he would be on the run for the rest of his life.

Dr. Cranes eyes studied the conference room they entered. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary from where he stood it looked like a regular meeting room. He noted that the chair that was pulled out for him was out of reach of the man. It was a smart move. He waited for a moment for the two men following Penguin to tell him to stop and stretch out his arms and legs. But it never came. He wasn't going to search him? The Penguin must have been confident of himself.

Slowly he walked to the comfortable looking chair placed out for him and took his seat. For a moment he didn't speak to Mr. Cobblepot, instead he studied the two men that had passed him and taken their place by his side. Certainly better built than the man himself. Talking about his plans in front of the extra hired help wasn't the problem. The problem was that they were there.

His attention was pulled from the two as he was offered a drink. His posture changing and he exhaled slowly leaning back a bit in his seat. A smile appeared on his lips that would be difficult to tell exactly where it was coming from. It was the second time that night he had been offered...He wasn't thirsty. Changing his posture in his seat yet again he leaned in a bit closer to the table. The first question was ignored figuring that he would get the point just like the young lady did in the public part of the building.

“Do you always discuss important business matters around less important individuals?” Dr. Crane asked obviously hinting that he didn't want his help in the room. The question was almost rhetorical he knew that the room was most likely monitored. If Dr. Crane were to try anything with or without them in the room help wouldn't be far behind. He had plenty of time to take all of this into account before coming here. His reasons for getting The Penguin alone were far more complex than what it appeared to be.

For now he waited for what his reaction would be to his question. His focus was not on him at the moment but continue to focus on one of his guards in particular. If they were to leave it would only make getting this deal sealed easier. If they stayed..well he would just have two more subjects to succumb to fear.

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Cobblepot had risen to to the heights of a mob boss, fallen through many trips to jail and yet rose again, seemingly reformed until you scratched past the surface. Perhaps if they'd started calling him the Phoenix he might not hate his nickname so much. Oswald knew how to deal with people, he knew how to get on top and stay there. Hiding in the shadows would never do for him. He had no need to run from the law anymore, all he did was ensure it couldn't touch him. He might not have the freedom to go out and be obvious about his criminal activities but one had to admit he was doing very well off of playing both sides.

It would be terribly rude to search a potential business associate and highly impractical to do so with every criminal. It was the Iceberg Lounge, everyone on the staff had guns or knew where the closest one was. If Jon was that hell bent on revenge that he'd attempt such a suicide mission Ozzy at least would have expected Edward to have been picked off first.

Besides, it was the Scarecrow. Research indicated he'd have his gas-mask on him along with fear toxin, probably both gas and liquid forms and that it wouldn't be like him, or he wouldn't be stupid enough, to just shoot Oswald. Oswald was out of arm's reach with goons and security would get the extractor fans easily seen in the ceiling going at the first hint of gas. The sheer amount of times people used smoke bombs and gas Oswald considered them practically a necessity in his private rooms. The main part of the lounge was too large and would have to fend for itself but he liked being able to control the atmosphere elsewhere and even pump in his own chemicals if needed.

Yes he was pretty confident. Maybe even cocky as he counted Crane's silence as a no but summoned a drink for himself anyway with the push of a button "Fetch me a scotch and bring it up to the room my dear" he let the staff deal with that while he pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket and chuckled at Crane's words "Now now, Dr. Crane, you'll hurt their feelings...And mine. You don't really think that will work do you?" he's fully aware Jon wants them gone and he refuses "I assure you they will hear what I tell them they heard"

He lights his cigarette just in time for his drink to appear, the waitress coming and going with only a wary look for the Scarecrow but not a word to anyone. Finally Oswald's eyes return from his distraction of smoking back onto Jon, he has the goons to watch him full time "Well? Out with it, I don't have all day"

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

His gaze kept locked on the body guard to the right of Mr. Cobblepot. Looking from a spectators point of view it would have looked like he was trying to intimidate the man, or find some fear in him, make him sweat. He couldn't help but wonder exactly what his fears were. His eyes were not met however as they both held their position and looked ahead. He had his pets trained well, But he couldn't buy enough security to save him from The Scarecrow.

Dr. Crane rarely found hired help to be useful for very long. He never kept them around him, and if he did need them they would be dead or out of their minds before long. It made getting hired help in the city a little more difficult for him than most Professional Criminals.

With the mention of the word 'scotch' he finally focused his attention back on The Penguin. It wasn't uncommon for the wealthier crowed to drink scotch. It was the rich mans whiskey. Scotch was the usual that Dr. Crane would order at the lounge but as of late he hadn't had a taste for it. His laughter wasn't surprising. Getting him alone was worth the try but he was the Master of Fear, they were just more subjects to him.

He studied him carefully as the cigarette was brought to his lips and lit. A terrible habit. One that he refused to pick up for several reasons. Mainly because he was a doctor, the other being that he was far too active to hinder his health. His violent dancing would have been hindered greatly if he was unable to control his breathing properly. There was too much fluid movement involved, far too much muscle control to give into such a restricting habit.

After the waitress had set the drink down he couldn't help but look into it for a long moment before raising his eyes back up to Mr Cobblepot's. “I am sure a man such as yourself can appreciate the need of research. There is something I have been working on, something that is going to require a lot of research. Chemicals are not easy to find nor are they cheap...” He paused for a moment thinking carefully about his words. He knew that The Penguin wanted to get right to the point, but he wanted to withhold his project at this point. If he could get the man support without revealing his plans why would he?

“My research was previously funded at Arkham..” he said simply for the validity of his previous statement. He almost said it like he was applying for a job, like nothing had happened. He spoke as if He hadn't been stripped of his titles, his credibility or his work in general. He liked to think of it as changing Professions. “I am looking for a more current source of income..” he said softly finally getting to the point for exactly what he wanted. It was clear that he wanted The Penguins financial support for whatever he had planned. What he didn't mention was what The Penguin stand to gain from this...but he had something in mind.

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Oswald finds intimidation useful though he'd probably have to poke someone's eye out with his nose before they considered him that scary looking but yes, that was part of Terry and Mike's job. To stand there are make people think any sudden moves would be bad for their health. The other part of course was to actually make it bad for their health if they didn't pay attention to such intimidation. They did it well and the Penguin kept them well rewarded for their work. In the pecking order of his thugs they were at the top.

Sipping from his drink Oswald still seemed calm. He was fully aware Jonathan would probably like to drug him, Jon seemed to like to do that to everyone. Ozzy just had to ensure it seemed like a really bad idea he wouldn't get away with. He had no interest in seeing Jon implement whatever plan he no doubt had to that effect, between the thugs, fans and being safely within his personal domain he preferred the unspoken message of 'It won't work. Don't try it'.

"An unfortunate hit to the expenses of such experiments when the madhouse believes itself to have a shred of sanity remaining" Oswald remarks thoughtfully as he considers what Jonathan could have to offer. Of course he mentioned he's working on it, which implied something new but Oswald also considers everything the Scarecrow has ever made up for negotiation if he's come to do business "Is it a source of employment or investment you're seeking to acquire?" either way he'd owe Oswald a lot or the money would stop.

Another puff of smoke and he considered other questions too. At least he smoked less than he used to, there was a time Oswald couldn't be found without a smoking cigarette holder, at least these days there were more gaps between.

Oswald couldn't just leave important questions like what was in it for him unanswered, he liked to have information on everyone, what Jon was up to had to be answered as well "I would of course expect a sizeable return if I were to provide such a contribution to your work Doctor. What is it you desire to return to researching so desperately that it's brought you to my door?"

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

Dr. Crane wasn't a fool. If things were to get a bit more psychical in this room even if he was able to fight off the two brutes in front of him and the Penguin, there would be more. He was sure that in this room they were on camera, and he would be flooded with security in minutes. His confidence that he could fight off many regular people at once was high, perhaps one or two with guns. Disarming others was a specialty of his among causing fear and panic. But too many on him and he would have to submit.

Dr. Crane wouldn't put himself in that situation however, not without good reason and confidence that he could escape. Besides The Penguin was far more useful to him alive than dead. He had a lot to gain from The Penguins financial support, especially with what he was planning.

He thought for a moment about his first question. When something was owed to Mr. Cobblepot it didn't matter whether you were employed or invested in by him it still meant you were going to have to do something. “I would prefer investment of course..” He answered carefully. Getting sucked into The Penguins control was something he didn't want to have to deal with, but might have to face at some point. He wasn't afraid, to come after The Master of Fear would be a glorious endeavor.

The problem with an investment was producing results for his money. Convincing The Penguin that it was all in the name of fear wouldn't be easy, he wouldn't understand, no one did. He could provide him with his toxins. Dr. Crane always had a bounty of fear toxin at his disposal and plenty of brave toxin to satisfy him if he needed it. Possessing the antidote and the ability to produce the antidotes to each of them would have been something useful as well.

It was really his last question that brought an unstable smile to his face. Dr. Crane. His body shifted for a moment moving to the edge of his seat. “What if... “ He began slowly raising himself from his seat. “What if you could control fear?” The doctor spoke softly and philosophically, like a teacher giving a lecture to his students. His hand crept to the chair next to him and he moved into it getting Closer to Mr Cobblepot. His eyes almost looked right through him. Paying no attention to the muscle to his sides that were probably now beginning to take defensive measures. “What if fear could be made into something so much more...If it could be brought out in someone in its perfect form...”

Dr. Cranes hands moved to the table in front of him supporting his weight as he leaned into it, he was slowly gaining dangerous ground towards The Penguin. His gaze didn't leave the business man in front of him. This was something so much bigger than him. So much bigger than the two men that protected him. “What if I told you that this research could bring Gotham to it's knees for fear of the power it possesses...”

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

"Of course" Cobblepot replied smoothly with a smile that suggested he'd expected that answer, and he had. Sure employment meant he'd handle things like supplying him with funding, a lab and test subjects but it also meant Oswald would expect him to work not go around terrorising people, he'd own anything Jonathan made, have access to all his work and be able to drop Jon drop into trouble if he needed someone to blame and he stopped being useful. None of the rogues were generally comfortable with being that far under Oswald's thumb.

Which left investment. Which differed mainly in that Oswald could stick his nose in less but expected high rewards for such generosity. Certainly he could think of uses or people who would buy the Scarecrow's work so far but Jon had come to him, which meant he needed this and Oswald was quite interested to see what else he had.

His own smile faded as Jonathan got closer. Troublesome man, always trying to spook everyone. The thugs were indeed responding, guns becoming more obvious as they drew them in a deliberately slow way that was supposed to give Jon the impression that he should back off. Oswald didn't even look at them, he just stared back at Jon, part listening, part considering his options.

The conversation was Jon's usual twaddle. Fear, fear and more fear "Forgive me for pointing it out but this doesn't sound like new work" he replied calmly though Terry was getting a bit of a twitchy trigger finger and both he and Mike were pointing guns at Crane already "Get back to yer seat" Terry growled out quietly and Oswald didn't tell him off for it.

Oswald options were equally as simple as the conversation. The first sign of trouble security would hit the fans and there would be back up. Of course that would only burst in after Crane had made a move. No, the primary plan formed in the Penguin's mind revolved around a simple push and a glass full of scotch. He was too close to properly use the gun in his umbrella yet but he had in one hand a glass with a flammable liquid in it, a lit cigarette in his mouth and should that not work a lighter in his pocket. When he'd spoke he'd subtly moved his foot to push against one of the table legs and so that it rested there, ready to push him and his chair over and out the way and out of reach as his threw scotch, and of course the glass at the Scarecrow. If he made any sudden moves to touch him that was.

Oswald really did like to have a backup plan for everything. Occasionally he even hopes to use them as he would have to admit setting the Scarecrow on fire would be delightfully entertaining but everything would go so much smoother if Jonathan just sat down and did things Oswald's way.

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

Dr. Crane was lost in himself clearly obsessed with whatever he had planned, or at least the philosophy behind it. A gun could have been pressed to his chest and it wouldn't have changed his expression at this moment. His eyes were gone, that stare that looked right through you. The reason why he was deemed so unstable was his actual ability to remain stable, it wasn't normal, it was almost not human.

How could he explain this to him? Something so beautiful had no need for words, it would have been so much more satisfying to show him. So he could study every reaction that came from it. The question came into his mind slowly, What did The Penguin fear? A question that often got him in trouble.

Words from someone rather than himself, rather than what was going on in his mind, made life jump back into his eyes. He didn't understand....Of course he didn't. His mind would have went on another dive into the world that he knew was the only thing that was real, but the gravity of the situation pulled at him. Dr. Cranes movement stopped where it was as the man closest to him demanded, however quiet the demand might have been. Dr. Crane had gotten a reaction out of him finally....

Grabbing his attention his head turned slowly from Mr. Cobblepot and looked into the bodyguards eyes. A smile formed on his lips not being able to contain the words or the expression surrounding his world. “Are you scared?” He asked him breaking away from his explanation. How could he resist?

His fingers tightened there grip on the table not moving from his position right away. He wanted to catch any little emotion that might have come from his words. It was only then he moved his gaze back to The Penguin who was undoubtedly getting annoyed with him. Slowly his hand lifted from the table debating on whether he should move at all after that statement.

He didn't fear them, no...He was fear...

“I have been looking into how fear can be applied to genetics...” He focused back on business moving away from his philosophical manner of speaking. He couldn't expect them to understand the world like he did, to see it like he did. “More importantly what it can do to genetics...” He continued beginning to slowly back his body away from them. He didn't move much, and certainly didn't return to his seat. But he hoped that his new explanation would describe what he was going at further.

Investment would have been the best thing to keep him out of his hair and his business. The exterior motive in this was obviously to take the money and use it as he pleased for his research. He would give The Penguin what he wanted of course but he would not disclose the true meaning behind his works, the real motive and outcome he was expecting. This is why employment needed to be avoided, but he was confident enough that it could be done if he could use fear to get what he wanted. Considering the events that happened at the lounge previously, Dr. Crane was counting on some amount of anxiety that he would have over it. If The Penguin had any at all..

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

The more Crane lost focus the more Oswald was starting to lose his patience. Outwardly is showed only as a deep frown but on the inside he was seriously considering having Jonathan shot just to force him back on topic.

Terry just snarled back at the Scarecrow when he was questioned, he wasn't scared, he was annoyed. The gangly freak seemed to be trying to challenge him, he really wished the boss would just let him shoot the guy. Mike meanwhile remains silent though still with his gun trained on Crane but then Mike was slightly more level headed anyway.

Luckily for Jonathan his attention returned to business, bullets have yet to fly though Jon's reply doesn't do anything to improve Oswald's mood. Forever jumping around the point. What fear can do to genetics? That could be anything! He could genetically make someone laugh, die, fall over, perhaps even sing everytime they were scared. No, Jon was trying to get out of telling Oswald what he was up to and if he wanted to do that he really shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place because now Oswald has latched onto it and he won't let go.

"And in this case what is it you intend it to do to someone's genetics?" He didn't want to know how or why, he didn't care about the why and he wouldn't understand the how though he could pass it to an expert. What Jon was making was the valuable bit, particularly if he was going to take Oswald's money to do it. Certainly he would demand fear and brave toxin and their antidotes and sell them on but the Penguin was in a position of power so he had no reason to settle for less than everything. Perhaps if it was interesting enough he would bargain to keep the good doctor on his side but right now he just wanted a straight answer.

At least Oswald was somewhat happier to see Jon moving away again. Perhaps the man had half a shred of sense left. It wasn't much but it was something. Any anxiety Oswald had, which was hardly a driving force to begin with, has been hidden behind a cloud of annoyance and greed.

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

Getting a reaction out of Terry pleased Dr. Crane to no end. He knew than emotion, annoyance, a combination of of a primary and a secondary, anger being the primary and frustration being the secondary. Frustration was anger and disappointment, anger again being the primary disappointment being the secondary. Disappointment was connected to Sadness, a primary. Sadness and Anger....the two primary's of the emotions all pulled into one. Sadness was an emotion that was felt because of the fear of loss....Anger was felt because of the fear of the unknown, the uncontrollable. Everything was so simple...it all lead back to Fear.

That's all that Dr. Crane could see in his expression....fear. He could mask it any way he wanted. He couldn't escape it, no one could, you can never escape fear. The satisfaction of the sensation made a hand jump slightly on the table. It wasn't the best reaction he could get out of him, but he was getting under his skin.

There were more pressing matters at hand unfortunately. The Penguins voice rang in his ears again pressing for the truth in his work. He didn't want to have to say it directly, his work he wanted to keep to himself, but The Penguin would have no interest in it if he didn't know what he was doing. This could become dangerous in a way, if he knew it could be used against him. “I could change them to make a more dangerous reaction to fear...” He began carefully with his word choice. He continued to use the word them, meaning he didn't want to use it for himself, but the thought had ran through his mind...once...or twice. “A biological reaction, one that could mutate or alter there DNA at will...making them into something far more intimidating” He finished feeling that was enough.

He stayed silent for a moment moving his hand from the table in front of him to stand upright. His gaze fell from The Penguin back to his goons. “I wonder...” He said softly while taking his now removed hand from the table to the rim of his suit jacket as if he was going to pull something from it. The exhilaration of the moment was beautiful the air seemed to suck out of the room. With a fluid motion he peeled it back so they could see what he was grabbing. It was for a syringe at the top strap of his jacket.

If he had the time before and if he was going to be shot or severely injured he was going to take it out and lay it on the table. Just to prove a point....

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Terry felt annoyed because he wanted to shoot Crane and the boss wasn't telling him to. Terry felt angry because he wanted to shoot Crane and Crane wasn't dead yet. Terry was sad because Crane wasn't dead yet. Terry wasn't very deep emotion wise. The only thing that scared him current and was enough to make him hold back was the thought of the boss breaking his fingers again if he shot another person too soon.

While Crane was focused on business though Oswald could still work with him, which eased the small man's temper a little. What eased it more though was Jon's description of his work. He raised an eyebrow curiously. And alteration to the DNA. Mutating them into 'something far more intimidating' and at will?!...Oh yes. Oswald could definitely sell that. He could make use of that. If they maintained their mind then it would be perfect for heists, fighting, just to have as guards even. If the subjects became little more than insane monsters? Just as good. Dose them up and set them free where you like and watch the chaos.

"Some sort of fear monstrosity?...That may prove interesting" Oswald's expression remained neutral, barely curious, he didn't want Jonathan knowing just how interested he was. Alas his good mood didn't last for long for there was Jon moving again.

A small frown returned as he started to get annoyed again and his gaze flicked from Jon to the syringe and back again quickly as soon as it was revealed and once more everyone on Oswald's side was instantly on red alert again and tense. Oswald still didn't give the order. Both the goons had never stopped pointing guns at Jon. Terry still really really wanted to shoot him, Mike was still impassively silent. Oswald just stared and decided he'd had quite enough just as Jon put the syringe on the table.

There was an audible click from Ozzy's umbrella as he moved his thumb on it. Safety's off. Jon's one and only warning that Oswald was tired of his games aside from the fact the Penguin was looking openly angry and not at all his usual charming self "You wonder what, Jon?"

[Jonathan Crane - Scarecrow]

Of course Dr. Crane never had any intention of selling this new toxin he was planning on making. He never wanted to sell any of his toxins unless he had to. It wasn't about the money, it was about the research. Money in his eyes was a weakness in a man, consumed by greed they could never see what it really was. Paper...just colored printed paper.

He may have been here for that fact, money. But it was for something so much more than all of them. His first goal certainly wasn't to produce something that The Penguin could exploit. His research was meant to prove a point, to show the world that fear was so much more than what they defined it as. To pour panic into the streets of Gotham and have them flee in terror of The Scarecrow.

Hearing that Mr. Cobblepot hadn't completely shut the idea out yet was encouraging. All the man cared about was profit, how he could get his hands on more paper. That's all these kind of men would ever understand, the two standing next to him were no exception to the rule. One of them was catching his attention more than The Penguin, or the other that stayed silently at his side.

As the syringe went down on the table he heard the small click. These men were ready to fill his body with holes until there was nothing left. Unfortunate for them....You can't threaten The Scarecrow with Oblivion. He welcomed it...

His expression never changed. His eyes traveled from each of the men to lock onto The Penguin's. “ I wonder....How loyal is a dog that is terrified?” The words came intently through him. Obviously the question was directed towards Mr. Cobblepot but the dog was referring to Terry.

Animals were fickle creatures. When provoked they could just go out of their minds, especially in fear. A dog that is scared is a dangerous dog, there is a saying. Of course he was taking the anger that he was feeling and changing it into what it actually was. The only emotion that it ever was.

His fingerstips rolled the syringe on the table lifting his eyes from The Penguins to meet Terry's. He could break him. It was too easy. From the first moment he had given him a sign of fear that was it. Dr. Crane couldn't help himself, how could he? The reaction would have been far too beautiful to miss at whatever the price. He didn't move another inch from where he was, besides rolling the syringe in his fingertips along the table. It was all about getting a reaction...

The original reason of coming here hadn't left the doctors mind. But this had certainly created a bit of a distraction. One that he couldn't help, there was nothing to fear....