Finding the rat before dinner [Ozzy & Lola]

[Deleted]

Edward pulled out the baked duck from the oven and placed it on top to add the seasoning. The entire meal was already prep before the Penguin was scheduled to arrive. He had no interest in making the man wait, and while they were reoccurring business fellows, he highly doubted the either of them wanted to be chatting about the weather while it was being made. Besides, Edward preferred to cook alone. It gave him a chance to think. It had taken him a couple days after his interaction with Miss Gleeson to decide what to do with the information that he had acquired. Yes, he had agreed to not inform the Penguin in exchange for his files, but his files had been altered, and basically ruined, so as far as he was concerned he had no reason to upheld his part of the deal. The only reason he truly shouldn’t mention anything was because it wasn’t his concern what the Penguin did or what the press did.

But something had continued to gnaw at Edward. The girl was so stupid, and she was going to get herself killed. He was all fine with teaching her lesson, but he had no interest in her dying. She had become a bit of light in this dark city they called Gotham. He felt silly for getting involved himself, but he couldn’t just sit back and watch as her stupid antics played out. No, he would solve this himself. He finished dressing all the sides and main course, taking a sip of his wine before looking down at a job well done. He truly was quite a chef.

He heard a knock at his door. He invited Oswald and his girl of choice at the moment for dinner. It would keep the air light, but also keep them away from the prying eyes of Oswald’s cameras that he now knew were hacked by the press. It would allow them to have this conversation without it reaching Bambi’s ears. He hadn’t expanded on his reason for inviting them to dinner, but he knew Oswald wasn’t a fool to think this was only a social call.

He went to the door and opened it with a smirk, wiping his hands with a kitchen towel. He looked at Ozzy and his beautiful girl toy of the year. “Good evening Ozzy, I’m pleased you had time in your busy schedule, but most make room to spend time with a genius," he smirked, "I just finished dinner. Would you like a glass of red or white?” he asked, politely, turning away to go get the wine, and allowing them into his redecorated apartment. Of course, he had to move when Crane had completely destroyed his last place, but Edward had a way of turning any North Side apartment into a shining jewel of wealth and stolen items.

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Oswald had spent the last few hours in quietly smouldering impatience ever since receiving Edward's message and being invited for dinner. Every second had been spent trying to work out what information about Oswald's staff Edward could want to discuss and trying to focus on the possibilities that didn't concern him. It was so irritatingly vague it could even just be a way to ensure Oswald would come on such short notice and Oswald almost wished it was.

That Lola had been invited didn't help his worries. Not only was he delayed having to explain to her what they were doing that evening, reminding her who Edward was and waiting for her to get ready but he had to consider the reasons Edward would want her there when this clearly wasn't just some social visit.

By the time they even got in the car he was on his seventh cigarette and he failed to be talkative on the journey entirely. The eighth was lit the moment he got out.

While he had yet to visit Edward's new place he naturally hadn't requested an address. It was bad enough Edward was acting like he knew something Ozzy didn't, he wasn't about to play stupid and pretend he didn't keep track of where Edward lived. A sharp wrap on the door with the handle of his umbrella and waited to one side of the door out of habit, listening for Edward before the door opened.

The mask went on in the form of Oswald's usual fake smile the moment the door opened, though as this was Edward he didn't seem to put as much effort into it and his eyes remained dark and calculating "You always seem to know the fastest ways to clear my schedule Edward. The Chinese will wait until tomorrow, they have little choice in the matter" Oswald implied the interruption of important things like it was nothing but kept it so vague to avoid giving any useful information "White I think would be best" He predicted the distinct possibility he was going to have to be angry about something, he'd rather have something that wouldn't stain if spilled "For you, my dear?" He finally questioned Lola's wine choice as he walked into the room, taking in the decoration and quietly ticking over prices and where things were stolen from "You've done well with the place. Bigger than your previous place though I preferred the old view"

Was that enough small talk and niceties? Could he ask now? The gentleman in him demanded patience, it said he had to wait until the right time. Oswald would run out of cigarettes before then. To hell with the gentleman "You had something to discuss?" Oswald hated not knowing things.

[Lola Marks]

Lola had spent the better part of the afternoon getting ready for dinner tonight. She had told Oswald she only needed a little while but of course that meant she was going to be dressing, primping and prepping for hours and hours. But it was worth it because in the end when she came out, ready and greeted him to go she looked stunning. Her hair was pinned up so that her new diamond earrings could light up the world around her. The decision to go with a longer dress was a tactical one, as it was the style, but she had a tasteful slit up the side for night wear.

Lola tried to speak with Oswald in the car but her conversations with him never went far. After a while she was just silent until they reached their destination. He seemed more bothered tonight than usual. Maybe what he had told her about the man they were going to visit wasn’t everything to the story. She had learned bits and pieces about him. She knew that he had other activities he pursued, such as getting rid of the monster that attacked Oswald. He must have been a good man and Lola would leave it at that in her mind.

Beside Oswald she waited at the door when he knocked it. She watched his face turn from a frown to a greeting smile right away. Something was wrong, but everything would come out eventually. It was best for now if she just stayed close to him. The man that answered the door was young and fresh. He dressed sharply in a suit that was tailored neatly to his body. Immediately she was impressed. A genius too? The an certainly swept with an ego, but at least he dressed the part. He looked busy with dinner, so she didn’t judge him too harshly for not greeting her personally, but she found it rude.

Lola held her tongue and walked in with Oswald. “ I’m in the mood for something juicy.” She hinted of red wine and flashed a sweet smiled to Oswald. The paintings on the walls and sculpted art about the room caught her eye. Each piece held a statement of taste and luxury. They had such good friends. She would have offered her name, but he didn’t ask for it. Instead she offered what he asked for and then some. “You’re friend has immaculate taste in art…” She commented to Ozzy and stepped a few feet from him to observe a painting.

[Deleted]

He caught on immediately that Oswald wasn’t pleased with being summoned without knowing the information, but Edward also wasn’t stupid to reveal his cards before getting what he wanted in return. He had played this dance with him before, and they both understood what happened. Edward held a wealth of information and would share such information for a price. He supposed Oswald was even more on edge because he had hinted that the information he planned to share was in relations to his staff, meaning his precious club. The very fact that Edward had requested them not to meet in the club, which was his preferred location for making deals, would be enough of a sign to worry.

Edward matched his fake smile. They certainly weren’t friends in any sense of that word, but they had been working together for almost seven years now. Edward knew better to get on Oswald’s bad side, just as Oswald knew not to interfere with Edward’s plans by asking too many questions. They worked well together, and while many other black market dealers had come up to Edward to hopefully lure him away, Edward turned them all down. He trusted Oswald as he would any man he had such reoccurring business with.

He barely took note of the mention of the Chinese, but kept the small bit of information stored away for any possible use. He focused on creating a perfect atmosphere for this dinner, and more importantly to keep Oswald in a calmer state. The man could be downright impossible when his temper roared up. He went to the kitchen and poured three glasses of wine, two red, one white.

“Why, thank you,” he smirked, and took a look over his impressive apartment, “I do have to admit, I miss the old place as well, but the Scarecrow…he is quite a terrible house sitter.” He said the last bit under his breath, not wanting to expand on it. He gave them both their glass of wine, catching Miss Mark’s remark on his décor. He then realized that he hadn’t fully introduced himself to her. He had seen her around Oswald on a few occasions, and he certainly had heard the rumor of the Penguin’s lover, but he hadn’t had much time to actually speak to her. “I apologize,” he took her hand, and pressed a soft kiss on the top of it, “I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Edward Nigma, some people call me the Riddler, but you may call me Edward. You’re Miss. Marks, correct?” he asked the question he already knew the answer to.

Ozzy’s persistent to get straight to business, pulled his eyes away from the graceful woman who likely didn’t possess a single brain cell. He chuckled, enjoying how his feathers were fluffed with annoyance. Edward pointed to the table. “And here people accuse me of being impatient. Come now, I’ve made dinner, you at least could have a bite before we dive into business. I baked duck for the first time in mouths. It should be quite delicious. You could say….what’s that familiar saying? Its goose is cooked,” a smirk pealed across his lips, the last words being more of a hint to what was certainly going to happen if the club owner didn’t get a handle on things, “Yes, that’s it.”

He chuckled again and took a seat. Allen was present and in the kitchen. He brought out the first course, as Edward took another sip of his wine. “If I were that duck, I probably would have found someone to warn me before the hunters came around, but not everyone can have such foresight,” he remarked, as the salad appeared.

“Riddle me this, what quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, but isn’t a duck?” he asked, his eyes had a glint of mischief in them. He did enjoy when he held more cards than the man before him.

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Edward came about as close to a friend as Oswald had but that really just said something about how Oswald regarded people. After all the deals Oswald truthfully would probably be a little sad and surprised if Edward turned on him one day. Then he'd be angry and set into action one of the several backup plans he had in case just that happened. Some old bit of Ozzy's mind that still wanted to join in the other kids games no matter how many times it had been laughed away did want to trust Edward and liked him but the man he'd grown up to become knew better. There was no point in friends, they were just people who wanted something for free.

The mention of Scarecrow was almost a welcome distraction, it was something else to think about for a moment "He is a poor visitor too, particularly when he brings friends" He responded dryly though he filed the information away. It certainly corresponded with the tracker he'd put in Jonathan but then he already suspected the pair had been working on something. From the sounds of things it had ended on a bad note and possibly fallen through.

Oswald considered that he should have done introductions but he didn't care. He wasn't going to introduce people he knew were aware of each other's names just so they could have some pointless conversation that wouldn't get him what he wanted. Particularly when there was a reason they hasn't had much contact and he wasn't sure he wanted Edward talking to her in the first place. In other words Oswald was in a bit of a mood.

His smile had sunk away almost as fast as he'd put it on but he looked more irritable than angry, he was indeed impatient today. Usually he kept up the jolly gentleman act regardless to make himself look like a higher class of criminal but he found when he didn't people tended to hurry up and it wasn't like Edward wasn't perfectly aware of his other side. Lola would be newer to it, he was usually a great deal happier when he was out entertaining her anyway and he didn't take her on business but he was starting to slowly get more comfortable with her around and so the mask slipped more easily.

Oswald didn't look like he appreciated being called out on his impatience but after a short stare at Edward he breathed deep moved to the table, rolling his shoulders to try and un-tense "Very well" He muttered, pausing only long enough to pull a chair out for Lola before he sat. The irritation remained but he didn't argue. The man wasn't going to be rushed and to force him would ruin a perfectly good business relationship. He had to relax and play the game he was good at. If it was particularly time sensitive Edward wouldn't play around and risk the information becoming useless anyway. If indeed there was anything to it at all and Edward didn't just want a way to get someone to eat his cooking or an excuse to meet Lola.

Allen barely receives a glance as the salad arrives but Oswald was used to ignoring waiters and only looked long enough to ensure it wasn't some armed crazy person looking to kill. He'd left Mike in the car after being driven over, he was backup if anything went wrong but Edward's place was one of the few he wouldn't automatically have one of his bodyguards to hand.

Taking up his wine Oswald forced himself to just sip from it rather than swallow the whole lot right off the bat as he really wanted to. It was following the little rules like that which helped him regain control and calm down somewhat.

It was hard to overlook all the bird references Edward seemed to be making, Oswald liked birds and every mention made a little mental reaction even if it didn't show on his face. It felt like he was hinting at something but with a lack of information it was entirely impossible to tell what but puzzling over the possibilities helped, it at least felt like it might narrow things down if he just thought about it enough. He'd warned Lola against the riddles; don't make fun of it, just let him deal with it. It was something Edward was just going to do and he didn't want Lola saying or doing anything that would end up with her in one of the Riddler's death traps. In this case it didn't seem particularly important in this case anyway, just something Edward couldn't help but slip into conversation.

Oswald merely stares at Edward for a second as he stabbed a bit of salad with his fork before quacking in a perfect imitation of a mallard duck. He raises an eyebrow "...I imagine that's not what you were going for?" While it could be said thanks to his body shape he was prone to waddling like a bird it was generally one of those things which was considered unwise to imply to his face. Mostly he made the connection to refuse the urge to ask Edward what he was going on about, he was trying to wait instead.

[Lola Marks]

Lola took her glass when it was handed to her and took a polite sip from it. Though she thought it was a bit rude of his to not immediately acknowledge and introduce himself to her it was no excuse for her to be improper or impolite. But then her hand was taken from her and apologies followed. She he kissed the top of her hand she blushed and gave a flattered smile. “ A pleasure to meet you Edward, do call me Lola…I’ve heard a lot about you.” She referenced to him calling himself the Riddler.

Over the past week Oswald had been filling her in a little bit about him and a few of his other associates. To her they seemed like legitimate business partners that dabbled in some things they probably shouldn’t have. The name “The Riddler” just seemed like a catchy phrase to her, probably to draw business. It was intriguing, it probably worked very well. She was satisfied that he had introduced himself and for the moment all was forgiven. Her glass came to her lips again and she listened to their conversation idly.

Slowly she walked to the table with Oswald, she waited for her chair to be pulled out and when it was she sat neatly in it. The food the was placed in front of her looked delicious. It didn’t seem as if there was a woman’s touch around the home and if he did this himself she was colored impressed. The man could certainly cook and she didn’t doubt it would be even better in her mouth. Lola picked up her fork and took her first bite as the men talked. It was difficult to follow their conversation, but everything seemed to surround ducks. Maybe Edward had a fascination with them? It would certainly make him and Oswald fast friends.

The riddle made her smile. It seemed like he lived up to his fame in more than one way. As for the answer she was caught at a loss. Oswald pipped up next to her and made a sound that she didn’t know he could make. At first she was a bit stunned by it but it quietly rolled over into a smile. She didn’t know he could do impressions of his birds as well. He must truly have a passion for them, for whatever reason. Their feathers looked great on clothing at times….” I didn’t know that you were so good at that.” She commented to the display. If it wasn’t the answer to the riddle it should have been. But did that mean that Edward was saying something about him? The more she thought about these two men talking the more it hurt. It felt like there was some kind of reading between the lines happening that she wasn’t getting….

Business Men…Couldn’t they talk like normal people for their social class?

[Deleted]

Oswald was certainly in a mood tonight, which Edward suspected he would be after he had dropped such an allusive hint to something going underneath his nose without explaining what it exactly was. Edward, though, never offered information without receiving anything in return. He sat across the two calm and causal, taking his own bite of his salad. He did quite enjoy the art of cooking when he had time for it.

He didn’t even flinch when Oswald mimic a duck perfectly. He had heard him make all types of sounds when it came to the flying species. He really should consider hunting, and using it as a call. He likely would come home with a large amount of game. He merely smirked, “Not exactly, but I suppose I should stop dancing around the topic.” Of course, if Oswald understood his riddle, he would have known he was stating that someone was pretending to be something they weren’t.

He took a long sip of his wine to keep continue the growing tension that was surely arising. He finally put his glass down, wiping his mouth with his napkin before turning his focus back to the man.

“You’re precious club is not as secure as you would like. The press has managed to wiggle their way in,” he stated, taking another bit and chewing it fully before continuing to speak. “I am happy to tell you how and who, if you can promise me something in return.”

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Ozzy immediately regretted the bird call the moment Lola mentioned it, he hadn't even thought of the consequences of randomly making such sounds in front of her. The amusement was only mildly better than the mocking he'd got used to, he could only imagine how weird she thought he was "Yes...well" he mutters "It helps with training" Which now just made it seem like he was training ducks. Why couldn't the subject have been eagles?

He swiftly looks back to Edward to avoid carrying on with that conversation and is suddenly reminded that he was angry. Lola was a little too good at distracting him even without intending to.

The frown quickly reappeared and darkened as Edward decided to stop beating around the bush and then stalled. Just like there was a part of Oswald that wanted to trust the man there was another part that really wanted to kill him. It was for the best that the businessman was in control most of the time.

He resisted the urge to prompt Edward and lifted his glass instead, not quite getting to sip from it before Edward finally spilled the beans.

Oswald's eye twitched as he stared at Edward, barely noticing as the glass lowered, cracked and splintered into little shards in his hand as it clenched. The white wine had been a good idea, the gloves he almost always wore were proving their worth to keep any bits of glass out too.

The press. It would have to be the press. Always sticking their nose in where it was going to get cut off. He was trying so hard not to explode, to look calm. If he didn't he'd kill something. It was very inconsiderate of Edward not to have anyone around he could take out his anger on. He didn't even consider that it was for the best when Lola was there to see it. Someone was in his club, trying to ruin his life. Nothing else mattered.

He stood fast enough for the chair to fall and left it there as he paced halfway across the room before he stopped. A snarl and the sound of rage nearly broke through before he reached for his phone, typed in his code, mindful to hide the screen for fear of cameras, and quickly dialed one of the stored numbers. A muttered command and across town the Iceberg Lounge was silently locking down without notifying the staff.

He'd done something, it wasn't as satisfying as punishing whoever was to blame for this but that would come later. Slowly Oswald turns and focuses back on Edward. Technically he could find the reporter from here, he'd be screening his entire staff after this anyway, but this would be faster and it was good to encourage people to come to him with information.

His voice was a growl when he spoke though and every word seemed to twist into a snarl, he was still one step away from a complete meltdown "What do you want?"

[Lola Marks]

So he trained ducks too? Oh her puffin was such an animal lover. From his business to his private residence it showed just about everywhere in his life. His fascination with birds in particular wasn’t a bad thing, though she wasn’t aware that a duck could be trained to do anything. But if that was the case then it made his talents with animals of the avian variety even more amazing than before. It was certainly more than she could do with them, but she wouldn’t feel ducks like that in the first place.

Lola took a bite of her food, it was delicious. Some men were such good cooks. Lola didn’t care for cooking. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how, she just didn’t care to do it. Why would she cook when someone could do it for her? She deserved to be cooked for not to have to cook for others. It would give a job to a less fortunate, less deserving person. Everyone had their place in the world and she was right in the place that mattered most to her.

But when Edward mentioned about exposing someone she got a bit nervous. It probably had something to do with Oswald and the club; after all it didn’t make much sense that he would know something like that about her. It had something to do with the press, or someone in the press. She tried to calm herself down with that thought and continue to eat what was in front of her. She took a sip of her wine just to make sure that she was settled and refined. She had dealt with the press before and it wasn’t pretty the first time around. But there was no way he would expose her for anything.

She felt the tension in the room rise and caught a glance at Oswald. He didn’t seem like he was before when he first came in. His demeanor had gone from bad to worse as the glass suddenly cracked in his had. She set her own down and leaned back a bit. Lola was about to ask him if he was alright but then suddenly he stood and the chair toppled over backward.

Her heart jumped into her throat, she’d never seen him this upset before. She put her napkin on the table top and smiled at Edward nervously. She looked behind her and started to stand. “Excuse me, may I use your restroom?. I’d just like to freshen up.” She said quickly hoping he would give her the directions and understand why she needed to take a breather. This was obviously a male problem and males were going to deal with it like they do. She would go freshen up in the restroom and hopefully come back when they were done…If he would allow it.

She stood awkwardly and pushed back her hair, trying to gain her poise as Oswald paced in his anger. Whatever this was must have been big, and she hoped it wasn’t going to affect him this way for long. Of course he probably had the means to take care of it, but she didn’t exactly have to be here to hear that.

[Deleted]

Edward continued on with his meal like the conversation they were having was one that is had at every dinner table. He took a sip of wine, as he watched the glass shattered in his hand and spill onto his wood table and to his floor. He couldn’t deny the small twitch in his features as he watched it soak into the expensive oak and the fact that another one of his fine crystal glasses was now destroyed. He flicked his finger in the air at Allen, who responded quietly and quickly by grabbing a rag to clean up the mess. Edward didn’t consider himself a germaphobe, but he strived for cleanliness. Cleanliness was next to perfection, and everyone knew Edward was perfect.

He watched Oswald storm about his apartment, anger radiating off of him like a slow cook hog. Edward had cameras everywhere in his apartment, covering all angles. Partially because his paranoia had always led him to take extreme precaution and partially because when the world finally realizes how truly intelligent and well beyond his time he was, he wanted them to have the ability to watch his perfection in action. He would certainly look back at the tapes to see if he could catch the code. He suspected Oswald was aware, but there were always way to judge a password based on slight movements of the body. He would have to dissect it later, it could hold value, but for now he let Ozzy throw his childish tantrum merely drinking his wine casually.

He turned to Lola when she asked to be excused. “Ah, of course, it’s right down the hallway, second door on the left. I strongly suggest you don’t open any other door besides that one,” he said with a sweet fake smile. Normally, he never would have given such an open warning, but he worried the girl was an idiot like most pretty faces, and if she opened a different door, she would get stuck in a booby trap which would likely make Oswald more furious. He had no interest in the Penguin throwing his rage at him, so it was best to explain things to her like a kindergartener.

The question to come was by far his favorite riddle in the world. What does Edward Nigma want? Oh, so many options, so many things! He deserved it all and more. Yet, as always he thought ahead, and his current little game against Gordon meant he had a use for the reporter, and possibly there was a personal aspect involved in it as well, but Edward was too proud to ever admit something like that.

“Hmm,” he dragged on, tapping his chin as if he hadn’t a clue, “What do I want, you say? There are two things that come to mind, both that require very little effort on your part. The first, when I inform you of this person, I need your word that you will not kill or harm them,” he stated casually, taking another sip of his wine to give him time for it to sink in, “The second, that favor I owed you will be wiped clean. Fairly simple.”

He paused, placing his glass on the table before locking his eyes to him. “Let me be clear, Oswald, if my terms are not accepted, I will inform the person of what has occurred and the information will be up on the internet, television, radio before you could even take a breath. I know you believe they are currently residing in your precious club, but let me remind you, most of your employees are paid by shifts. They could be in your club? Or they could be at home, the park, the movies, or at the very press outlet they work for. Quite a riddle indeed? Where could they be?” he smirked, giving a shrug. He did enjoy his information and loved when he had the cards in his deck. He respected Oswald. He truly did, but that didn’t mean he would be taken as a fool or provide information for free.

“Do we have a deal?” he asked.

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Oswald would have to change passwords before the end of the night anyway so it was really of little consequence if Edward managed to work it out. Even if he was sure there was no way anyone could be using his details it wasn't worth the chance, not when his were the only passwords that would give someone access to practically everything he owned except a few backup resources.

Somewhere Oswald's mind registered Lola excusing herself but it was lost in the swirl of thoughts, disregarded as irrelevant to be dealt with later. Had she stayed it wouldn't have affected him, he had more important things to think about than how she might feel about his behaviour. His reputation was being threatened.

He snarled, looking back at Edward when the man pretended to think. He wouldn't have been offered the information unless Nigma had something he wanted.

The demands, when he finally got round to the point, were of course ridiculous. Insulting even. To remove the favour would be inconvenient but acceptable. To let the reporter walk away from this though, to leave the threat and for what? Because Nigma told him it was there?

He stepped forward, his fist raising with his phone still in it, still with his security team listening on the line in case they found the reporter first. He looked like he was about to march over and hit the man before Edward's threat made him stop, hesitating as he glared at the Riddler. Smug green bastard. Who did he think he was dealing with?

Slowly his fist lowered, depositing his phone in his pocket as he moved in closer and leaned over the table practically into Edward's face "You're making a habit of this. Dropping people in it so you can dictate my reaction. I can see use for Crane but a reporter?" Oswald almost spat the word out. He snarled again, if he got any closer he'd run the risk of jabbing Edward with his nose "I think perhaps you planned this Eddie. Send in some fool to snoop around so you have a way to squirm out of your deal. How do I even know you have anything?"

[Lola Marks]

Lola nodded and excused herself from the room as gracefully yet as quickly as she could. She wasted no time going right down the hallway especially as she heard Oswald get loud. She knew that business men got like this sometimes, it wasn’t the first time she’d seen two men yell at each other over business, but for some reason knowing what she did about The Riddler made it that much more uncomfortable. It was the better decision for her to pull away and come back when she was calmer and more collected. The last thing she wanted was Oswald thinking she couldn’t handle it.

She whipped around the corner as quickly as she could and put her hand on the first doors knob. Before she turned it she reminded herself it was the second door and moved promptly. She went inside and closed the door quickly, still able to hear Ozzy’s voice. She set her clutch purse down on the side of the sink and checked herself out in the mirror. At least with all the craziness going on she still looked fantastic. What The Riddler had told her before she came in here still stuck in her mind. What would have happened if she went through that first door? It was obviously an attempt to hide something, probably an empty threat, but she had no desire to see it.

She opened her clutch bag and pulled out her mascara to apply it again. Once they were lifted and blackened again she dropped it back into the bag. Next she took her red lipstick and applied it back to her lips. Even after her make up was applied she was still shaken by the whole ordeal but she needed to return. She took deep breaths to calm herself and then fixed her hair. She would be poised, calm and collected no matter how loud the shouting was.

[Deleted]

Edward sat back at the table, fully confident. He drank his wine without a care in the world because the cards were in his hand and not the Penguin. He watched the man as his feathers fluffed in fury. He could see his anger rising, and he stayed calm. He had a fairly decent relationship with Oswald. It was strictly business but they had been in business for years now. It didn’t mean he wanted to make it on the man’s bad side, and it certainly looked like it might be a possibility. The short man was raging towards him about to throw a punch at him like they were in a school yard and not in a high end apartment. He almost winced, but the man stopped, instead going back to the good old fashion threats and intimidation.

The man leaned far too close to his face, and Edward found himself leaning back. Oh, it looked like Ozzy hadn’t forgotten the situation with Dr. Crane. He supposed he wouldn’t. A small smirk still pulled at Edward’s face. “While that certainly would have been a genius plan, even worthy of having my name on it, I did not purposefully put the press in your precious club,” he remarked, placing his glass on the table, trying to act like having a man breathing down his neck was normal.

“Come now, Ozzy, you know I have far more respect of you to ever betray you in such a fashion. I am merely offering a business proposition that helps save you from the GCPD and the media. You should be thankful I even brought it up. I could have just kept the information to myself and let you face your own crumbling empire by yourself. I didn’t, do that did I? I came straight to you,” he stated, his tone turning darker and his eyes narrowing, “Now I would appreciate it, if you would back away from me and take a seat. I never expected you out of all people to be so emotional,” he bit out, nodding to the chair. His attention moving to the chicken that Allen had brought over during the shuffle. The man still carried the large AK-47 on his back as a silent threat.

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Edward backed up, this pleased Ozzy. It soothed his ego and the wince before helped him ignore the smirk as if it were just a mask trying to cover Edward's worries. Backing up would always be a sign of fear to him and fear was what so often brought Oswald respect. Even if hitting Edward would likely be a bad choice of action he could still take some satisfaction from making the man very uncomfortable.

Oswald doesn't move closer though, he just glared, his eyes fixed like a hawk deciding the correct time to strike it's dinner. The words were largely empty, so similar to the ramblings of countless numbers of men who have tried to talk their way out of his bad books. Talk of respect was good. "Crumbling empire" he repeated coldly. That was not the right thing to say.

Allen continued to be ignored as Oswald gave no reaction to Edward's attempt to get him to sit down once more. He refused to let Edward control him like that when the man was already trying so hard to. He was perfectly aware of the threat of the armed thug but it would be foolish for him to shoot Oswald just for getting in the Riddler's face, if he escalated it was a possibility but his temper had flared and burnt itself down to an angry simmer. For now he could safely control himself, provided there were no more surprises he believed he could prevent rash decisions and so the threat was minimal and he could remain close. He could also think.

A wonderful thing about Edward was his general refusal to lie, foolish really but useful for Oswald when he had to decide just how much he believed the man. He 'did not purposefully put the press' in the club. Potentially he accidentally put them there in some plan gone wrong. The sensible course of action to remove them though would not involve incurring Oswald's wrath and if they had ruined the Riddler's plan, why save them?

Possibilities, plots and plans flicked through his head as he weeded out the most likely, ever aware that there was a ticking bomb sitting on his reputation that could explode any minute.

"I will permit them to live" The Penguin finally said through gritted teeth. It was not a deal he wanted to agree to "But should they resist and attempt to continue with this plan of exposure I do not promise that they will not be harmed. You cannot make claims to stop the press with deals Edward, they will break them the moment they smell a story"

[Lola Marks]

Lola made her way back into the room gracefully. She heard their conversation, she saw the room in it’s less than ordered state now. It seemed a lot had happened while she was cleaning up in the restroom. She had less and less interest in what they were talking about the more they talked about it. It seemed like some kind of business deal went sour. The part that really caught her attention was how angry Ozzy seemed to be, she had never seen him like this before.

She walked up to both of the men and took her seat again which was now back slightly from where it used to be. She looked back and forth to them just as Ozzy made his comment on the press. At least it wasn’t press involving her, that would have mortified her. Anyone else and that would just be fine gossip for the next party they had. The only problem was this kind of gossip seemed to be upsetting her puffin.

Lola crossed her arms and tapped her foot, becoming a bit impatient with the two. It was clear that neither of them were going to hurt each other at this point, but rather just remain very upset. “So why can’t you just fire the entire staff and be done with it love?” She flashed a smile. It made sense, if there was a plant then firing everyone would do the trick. Replacing everyone in one day? It wouldn’t be too difficult with it being an esteemed establishment as it was. “The massive would line up for applications…The lounge would be staffed in one day.” She mentioned casually.

Men were always so aggressive in their business dealings. This could easily be fixed.