When in University [Natalie]

[Deleted]

He wore a full professional black suit, something he wore very rarely and left his bowler cap at home. The only that could possibly hint to his true identity would be the bright green tie he wore and the cane that was glued to his hand. He opened the door to the large lecture hall as if he were the professor himself.

Everyone in the large class turned immediately to the disruption including the professor who had a scowl implanted on his face.

“Excuse me sir, but we are in the middle of lecture,” the man growled at him. Edward smirked for a moment. It constantly amazed him how important academic professor believed their lectures changed the world while in actuality they were a way for these worthless children to justify their drunken activity.

Edward slightly bowed his head. “I would apologize but the matter behind my intrusion is rather important,” he stated towards the professor. He highly doubted the professor would see the importance, but to Edward, determining the Batman identity went above any other menial task.

Dr. Ulmann continued to glare at him for a few more moments before letting out a sigh. “What is it?” he asked tiredly.

“Nothing that will take the rest of your class time. I wouldn’t want to stop the attempts of learning,” Edward said truthfully, “All I need is to steal Natalie Martin.”

The Professor lips turned into more of a frown. He seemed to be annoyed that only one student would be the cause of such a disruption. “Natalie, go,” he ordered finding her in the room quickly and pointing to the door.

Edward smirked. People made it too easy for him. “I’ll meet you in the hall, dear,” he said not even apologizing to the professor as he left.

[nmartin]

Again, Natalie had pulled nearly an all nighter all thanks to her research. Well. Almost an all nighter. She did manage to catch a two hour nap between last night's work and this morning's first class. Even so, where most students would fall short due to their lack of repose, she didn't seem all that tired out aside from the obvious signs of sleep deprivation that could be seen if one got close enough. Slight dark circles under her eyes, though she mostly just covered them up with a very minor amount of eye liner. Her 'Brain and Behavior' class went off without a hitch, and it seemed that her 'Applied Behavior Analysis' class would be quite the same. None of her classes were a real challenge aside from the pharmacology chourse, which was at least relatively new in it's lessons.

It was sheer will power that stopped Miss Martin from falling asleep during this particularly boring class period. The subject itself was interesting to her, but the professor didn't catch her interest. He didn't seem nearly as devoted to his work as others did, which struck her as.. irritating, to say the least. Slumping over slightly in her desk, Natalie reached for the 20oz cup of coffee that she'd bought that morning that was still only halfway gone, and took a sip of what had devolved into merely a lukewarm cafe drink. Setting the cup down, her attention was drawn to the doors for a moment after hearing them open. Her gray eyes settled on an unfamiliar face, an older man dressed up rather nicely. Almost too nice to be a staff person at the university. Whoever he was, she doubted it involved her, and tuned out the irritated banter between him and Dr. Ulmann, instead focusing on erasing a bit of her notes that she felt she didn't write down neatly enough, and wrote them out legibly.

That is, until she heard her name spoken by the stranger. She peeked up again, and gave him a questionable look before she glanced back to the professor at the front of the hall, as if looking back at him would make it okay to leave class momentarily. Slowly, she closed her notebook up and as quietly as she could, gathered up the rest of her things. Backpack, purse, and coffee in hand, it wasn't a problem for such a skinny girl as her to sneak by the rest of the students in her row, and practically silently went out the doors. Maybe he did work for the university? Maybe it was some sort of emergency? Involving her family back home, and this was the only way they could contact her? What if her apartment was broken into, and this guy was just gathering her for the police department? It could've been any number of emergencies, hence why she didn't object outwardly.

Pushing the doors open, she looked over at the mysterious suited man, and adjusted her backpack on her shoulder. "Yes?" She asked, her voice hardly peeping up above a whisper, since it was probably the only thing she'd said all day aside from ordering her coffee.

[Deleted]

Edward unwrapped his tootsie pop as he waited for young student. Supposedly this student was one of the rare people who actually had interactions with Jonathan Crane, and hopefully she would provide him more clues.

He had heard of a man dressed as a scarecrow infiltrating Selina’s home. He had some sort of liquid drug that not only took down Selina but also the boy blunder. It caused them to live in their worst fears. Now, Edward had little interest in the results fear caused in people. He understood fear was a large factor in everyone’s lives especially the unintelligent, but he also understood that bravery existed. The reason bravery existed was based on intelligence not fear. However, when he overheard the detailed story through the rumor circuits he became greatly interested in the drug itself. A plan started to harbor that would finally lead him to Batman’s identity. But before he could figure out the Batman’s identity he had to determine the Scarecrow’s identity.

There were large clues that automatically popped out when he gathered the story from his many sources.
-Obsession with fear
-Called it an experiment
-Scrawny dangling man
-Intelligent

He knew immediately it had to be a doctor or a scientist or possibly both ruling off the majority of the Gotham population. All he had to do from there is look through the major medical, academic, and science journals in search of any progress in relation to fear. From there he would look for a person living within Gotham’s city limits. All of this led him to one man Dr. Jonathan Crane who had published a few article all on the topic of fear. While he was close to certain the man was the very same person who dressed as a Scarecrow, he still wanted to double check his facts. Furthermore, the man was basically unavailable. He supposedly was either teaching or researching, making it impossible to get a hold of him.

He turned his head to the door when Crane’s teacher assistant walked through. He did a quick once over of the young student. She appeared to not sleep much, which was only confirmed by the coffee in her hand. He couldn’t determine if it was from a sleeping disorder or from work. He knew it wasn’t from parties. She lacked the attitude that came from socializing with the broad masses.

He held his hand out to the girl as he pushed the lollipop into his cheek. “Good day Natalie, my name is Dr. Nashton,” he spoke with a confident air to him, “I work for the American Psychology Association. I am actually here to discuss Dr. Crane because he is in competition for our national award. Normally, we wouldn’t bother a lowly TA like yourself, but Crane’s lack of associates has forced us to focus elsewhere. Because this is a highly competitive award, we really must look at Dr. Crane from a outsider’s perspective.”

[nmartin]

Doctor Nashton. The name didn't immediately ring a bell, though it did hold some sort of familiarity to Natalie, that much she would admit to. Like she'd heard the name before in passing, but that was it. What was more peculiar about it though, was that she certainly didn't recognize the name having anything to do with the American Psychology Association. Natalie wouldn't claim to be an expert on those who were affiliated, but she did know a few names. Nashton wasn't one of them. Still, he seemed professional enough, and the fact that he was here for an award that Dr. Crane was supposed to be given made perfect sense. He was a genius, after all.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Nashton." Natalie said quietly, forcing another one of her pleasant smiles and shaking his hand after re-re-adjusting the shoulder strap of her backpack, and shifting some of the weight of her notebook and text book from the class she was pulled out of.

The comment of a 'lowly TA' did irk her just a bit, noted in the way she furrowed her brows at the very words, but other than that she seemed relatively content with him needing her opinion. Or something. "Dr. Crane didn't mention any award.." She started off, her eyes leaving Dr. Nashton for a moment as she glanced down to make sure one loose paper wasn't going to fall from her notebook. "..but, that's great. I'll do whatever I can to help."

'Suspicious' wouldn't be a good word to describe her feelings toward Dr. Nashton at the moment. More like, wondering why Dr. Crane hadn't mentioned something of such good news to her. It wasn't like she needed to be told everything, but something that was such an honor in a field they were obviously both invested in, it would've been nice to know beforehand.

[Deleted]

When he let go of her hand he causally wiped it on his pants leg. Those kids were known for germs, and he particularly did not want to get sick. Her comment about Dr. Crane proved how little knowledge she actually had. Obviously the award had not been given out so there was no reason for Crane to even assume he would get it…or this showed something else of her personality. She honored the man. She expected greatness, so she assumed if there was an award Crane would expect getting it and for some reason inform her about it. She overvalued Dr. Crane, and she overvalued her worth to Dr. Crane.

“We do not inform nominations until we have decided who the award is going to,” he unnecessarily explained for the incompetent girl. Hopefully, she actually did have useful information. He noticed her shifting of notes and bags. It was starting to distract him and irritate him like a fly darting around food. “We should find a place to sit since you seem incapable of holding your stuff. Would you like a hand?” he offered his hand out half-heartedly. It was quite sad when the cripple has to hold your stuff for you.

He rolled the candy in his mouth again trying to calm his tense nerves. She was young, inexperience, and most likely deluded, but if she had the information he needed it would all be worth it.

[nmartin]

A four year student of psychology could notice all the little quirks of Dr. Nashton, the wiping of his hand after the handshack and the little amount of snark in his comments among the things that didn't go unnoticed by Natalie. Unlike others who might've just ignored these little gestures, but also unlike the other others who might've outwardly said something, Natalie just grinned a little wider while her eyes narrowed in on him, unamused.

Noticing his hand again, Natalie shook her head and finally seemed to have adjusted everything comfortably. Excuse her for having to carry a heaping ton of books around for all her classes, all day. That was one thing she missed about high school; lockers. "No thank you." She said flatly, and cleared her throat. "So, it's decided that it'll be going to him?" She asked, and pondered for a moment. She could've sworn that he said Dr. Crane was in a competition for the honor, and that's why he needed her opinion on something. Dropping the thought, she let out a quiet sigh, and returned her pleasant, fake smile.

"What can I help you with, then?" After all, he did interrupt her class. The sooner she was finished with business with Dr. Nashton, the sooner she could return.

[Deleted]

He wondered if she even had the ability to listen but reminded himself that she must have an infatuation with her professor. It was the only reason that made logical sense for her strange high expectations of Dr. Crane. The infatuation could either be helpful or a hindrance to his investigation into the professor. He hoped she wouldn’t falsely exaggerate his persona, but rather give a more detailed account.

“No,” he responded to question, “As I said before it’s a competition. Depending on what you say will determine whether he receive the award.” Hopefully the pressure would force her to give him better answers. If she were too focus on making the rest of her class, she would only hurry along (her annoyance of him for interrupting class never went unnoticed).

“I have questions. How does Dr. Crane spend his nights, and particularly what experiments has he been attempting? This will help us better understand how truly dedicated he is to his work and whether the type of experiments are actually helping advance the field of psychology. I understand if you don’t know. It would be very surprising if a young woman of your statue understood any of his work. The fact you are able to keep up with the basics is amazing as is,” he responded with a calm smile. While the last statement was true he didn’t have to say it. He only said it to destroy her false illusion that she was an important aspect of the man’s life. He hated lies, even lies people told themselves.

[nmartin]

Listening to Dr. Nashton's further explanation, she nodded her head calmly and took another sip of the warm coffee; apparently she needed it. Her lack of sleep must've been more of a problem than she previously thought it to be, but then again, she did have the awful feeling of nervousness about her now. An award for Dr. Crane that depended on her answers? It definitely did put a great deal of pressure on her.

The first question she had to admit, was .. odd. How would she know how he spent his nights? The only thing she could do would be to put the little pieces of his personality that she knew well enough together. The second question was more fitting to what Dr. Nashton was after, she figured. Concerning his experiments. Even then, she only knew so much.

"Dr. Crane spends a lot of his time doing his own research for his theories on primal human emotional responses, particularly fear. I would assume he spends time on it at his home as well." She says, and thinks about the second question for a minute longer. "As for the details of his experiments," she began, but gave a slight shake of her head and shrug of her shoulders, "I only know what he's shown everyone in the class. Sometimes he'll bring in lab rats and expose them to things that threaten them, which triggers their responses." In truth, she knew more than that, but she wasn't about to jeopardize his research or his career, for that matter. Many would object to it.

The last bits of his comments have Natalie sneering at him again. On the one hand they were insulting, while on the other hand a part of one comment seemed to be almost a half-comment. 'The fact you are able to keep up with the basics is amazing as is.' "Yes. Well. I've paid attention in class, and I care about the subject, unlike the majority of the students here." She said monotonously, and took another sip of her coffee.

[Deleted]

The information she provided had little use. He had determined all of that information before he even insinuated this meeting, but the way her eyes glanced for a quick moment showed that she was lying. She knew more. She knew a lot more yet she was only giving the shallow aspects of it. He frowned for a moment, tapping his finger on his cane. “As I thought, only the basics,” he mumbled, knowing her agitation would force her to explain more.

“Disappointing really,” he stated a bit louder. He didn’t even listen to the girl’s last comments to justify her self worth. “If that is really all you have, there is no reason to waste my time questioning you,” he commented with a wave of his hand. He turned away from her and started walking away. His cane echoed against the wooden floorboards. He knew this girl’s love for her professor would stop him. She couldn’t be held responsible for Dr. Crane’s lost award. Female emotions truly were the easiest to manipulate…well except for one. His mind jumped away from his goal again. His jaw tightened in irritation. He had gone so long without thinking about her. He would not start again.

Dr. Crane, yes that was his current focus. If the girl failed to supply the adequate information, a break-in into his office could be useful.

[nmartin]

Dr. Nashton's dismissal of her information did irritate her to an extent, especially since he was so subtly rude about it. At least, he was trying to be subtle. Maybe. Giving the man a quiet scoff, she looked away from him again as he started to walk away, completely satisfied with the fact that she didn't give anything too much away abour Dr. Crane's research, and that she could get back to class.

Then again, there was that award to consider. It wasn't as if she'd tell all she knew about the experiments, but a few moer vague details that the average student in any of his lectures wouldn't know wouldn't hurt anything.

"There's only so much I can tell you, here." She said, and hoped that he turned around. She wouldn't object to meeting him elsewhere. One day of missing this class in particular wouldn't put her grade in any jeopardy. She already held the highest marks in the class. Afterward she'd assigned herself a two hour break, and she only ever really needed about fourty five minutes of that, on a busy day.

[Deleted]

When she spoke to him, he automatically smirked. It was too easy. It was always too easy. There truly were only two people in this entire city that could challenge him. Everyone else was an easy manipulation. He stopped and turned around. Her statement was interesting and provided proof on its own. If what she had to say couldn’t be said in public it was probably something frowned upon by the masses. Drugging people would be something that society would reject in a heartbeat. The chances of Crane being Scarecrow rose just slightly.

When he faced her, he almost looked bored. “I don’t have a problem moving our location, but if we do, the information you provide better be something that will make Dr. Crane stand out. I will be quite annoyed if you waste my valuable time,” he stated with his arrogant tone. He looked back at the girl. He enjoyed the fact that she found him a bit unbearable. Her narrowing eyes or small frown never went unnoticed, but she put up with it like a good woman should. She didn’t seem smart enough to realize the situation she was in so maybe she was the perfect woman. She gets her job done and listens to the man without attempting to use her brain. If Crane was having relations with his students, he could understand. The girl bored him, but what more could you expect.

“I do have four other contestants to follow up on,” he added to prove to her how important her role was.

[nmartin]

Perhaps Natalie's greatest weakness was her naivety. The poor girl really did think that there was an award for Dr. Crane to win, even if she did have some internal gut suspicions about it. Those, however, were determined to be 'irrational' thoughts the more that she pondered their meaning. Emotional discrepencies that had no say whatsoever in standing in the way between something that could help Dr. Crane. Unfortunately, her best judgment at that point was completely blown off.

"It will be." She said with a slight tilt of her head, as if adding a bit of her own arrogance to the conversation, seeing as Dr. Nashton didn't hold back with his own. Taking another sip of the coffee, she finished the drink and tossed the cup absentmindedly into a nearby trash bin, freeing up both hands. Clutching the notebook to her side, she shifted what small amount of weight she did have, and cleared her throat again. "Somewhere relatively quiet. Preferably off campus." This wasn't necessarily a suggestion, but a fact. These factors had to be met if she were to divulge information on the experiments.

[Deleted]

It will be

The confidence that radiated off that statement made Edward happy for the first moment during this conversation. She knew something valuable, and if she knew something valuable then the probability of Crane being Scarecrow was expanding.

When she gave the requirements for her location, his mind automatically went to the old coffee shop. He hadn’t been there since his…realization per say. It was quiet and off campus. No one ever listened the conversations on other tables, mainly because the guy might pull a gun or a knife on you. While it would be a perfect location to discuss this, he doubt a young student would feel comfortably going there. More importantly, he didn’t technically have a car. Allen was waiting out in the parking lot for him. Also if he were to act this part he was playing, he wouldn’t necessarily know about the coffee shop. Acting made things difficult. He stressed this again, this was acting not lying.

“I noticed a coffee shop when I drove by it, but it looked like it was in a bad area. I’m not bothered by it, but if that’s not up to par with your standards I’m sure you could find another location,” he answered.

No matter the location, he hoped he learned the riddle behind Crane soon. His curiosity was killing him.

[nmartin]

The coffee shop he mentioned seemed like one she was familiar with. Mae's Cafe, in East Gotham. Of course, the only factor that made her guess he was talking about that particular establishent was the 'bad part of town' bit. Thinking it over, Natalie gave a shrug. "I think I know where you're talking about, but that's a bit far, and I have class after this." She stated, and took a few steps forward.

There were plenty of other places within Gotham's central borough that wouldn't make her late for her next class, which happened to be Dr. Crane's. "How about some place a little closer?" She offered, and began to walk past him, apparently pretty eager to talk about all of Dr. Crane's accomplishments. Vaguely of course, never giving too much away. Just enough to prove what a genius he really was.

The problem of transportation wasn't necessarily a problem in her eyes. She had a car, and she could assume he did too. They could just meet somewhere, some place easy to find. "There's a cafe right down the road from campus, directly across from the bank. It's usually not too busy around this time." And if anyone knew the habits of nearly every coffee shop in Central Gotham, it'd be Natalie.

[Deleted]

He almost laughed at her newfound enthusiasm. It was probably only apparent to a person with his level of deductive skills, but her quick pace and lighter tone suggested she was ready to talk. When she described the coffee shop she wanted to meet at, he was pretty sure they passed on the way into Gotham University. It seemed like attractive place for college students to go. Honestly, he had been a bit happy to get away from the students of Gotham. He despised dealing with their uncalled for arrogance and drunken stupidity. Unfortunately, her class was more valuable then his sanity…obviously. He inwardly scoffed. He silently begged that the coffee shop would indeed be slow.

“Yes I’ve seen it, I will meet you there then,” he nodded at her as he watched her pass him. The only problem was once again his transportation. He could ride with Allen in the dark green car and plates that hinted to his true identity or he could walk. Or…

he could wait until Natalie got into her car before going into his and stop a block away. Yes, that was the best option. Maybe he would be lucky and her car was in an entirely different lot. His eyes caught sight of a water fountain. He would get a drink first just to give himself more distance.