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Payback
Feb 23, 2011 0:01:10 GMT -5
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Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Feb 23, 2011 0:01:10 GMT -5
"Aw," Poison Ivy says to the tears, her face forming the classic pout of false sympathy. Contrary to what some might assume, she's not a malicious woman by nature. No, that trait is one that was thrust upon her by terrible experience. Specifically, the experience of being betrayed and nearly killed in a most terrible manner by someone she trusted. And it's very fortunate for the Ventriloquist that his acts against her only vaguely reminded her of it, because that memory brings out the worst in her.
Still, though she's very angry, it's not something that she won't get over given some time and distance. Her moods are always changing like the plants inside of her greenhouse; the old ones get discarded or pushed to the back so that she can concentrate on the new ones. One needs to actually manage to hurt her in order to wind up on her permanent black list.
The questions of Scarface are ignored at first, and the fact that she begins rummaging around in one of the drawers in her lab is probably not very comforting. Between what she's already shown herself to be capable of and what one can naturally assume she'd also be able to do based upon that, there's certainly room to be concerned when she goes into her lab for reasons that probably involve you. But no, she means to raise as few eyebrows as possible, and merely retrieves a roll of duct tape. And on her way back she makes a side trip as she walks back through the greenhouse to pick up a small, innocent-looking pot full of blue petunias.
"Since I don't need anything from you now, let's just say that I get one thing from you whenever I feel like asking for it," she says as she starts walking back, her tone suggesting that she's not going to listen to any objections to the idea. She's not even sure that she'll ever want or need to collect on it; the demand is being made merely because it does ease the part of her that would like to punish him further and because it amuses her. Blank check favors are the best kind, after all. And while it may seem odd that she seems to be expecting a favor of someone she's about to put into police custody, that doesn't seem like such a big issue to her; if she decides that she needs him she's sure that she'll be able to get him wherever he happens to be at the time.
When she draws near enough to the Ventriloquist, she holds the petunias up between them and gently blows on the flowers. Smiling cruelly, she adds, "Good night." The pollen in the plant should be good enough to knock him out for an hour or so; long enough to release him from the vines, tie him up with the duct tape, confiscate the lead pipe and lay them and the tommy gun aside for the police, organize the now disordered greenhouse into a mess that looks like it was made by a struggle between two people instead of ten, and rehearse her cover story enough times that she practically believes it herself. She'll wait until he starts to come around to call the police, however; the fewer signs that she manipulated anything, the better.
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Payback
Feb 23, 2011 23:00:01 GMT -5
Last Edit: Feb 23, 2011 23:54:57 GMT -5 by sincereagape
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Post by sincereagape on Feb 23, 2011 23:00:01 GMT -5
"She is going to kill us!"
"No she ain't. She' ju'st said she ain't. And so 'far the dame hasn't g'roken her word.."
"But Mister Scarface, I really believe she's going to going to have us killed! I just know it! Do something Mister Scarface!"
"Will ye Shuddaup and let me think."
I hate it when the Dummy gets like this. Frantic and paranoid. No wonder he was never able to accomplish much in life, he losses control in everything! But I shouldn't be complaining, if Arnie had managed one shining moment there is a good chance he would have never needed me.
Scarface tried to think of a way of this predicament. There was always the possibility of offering her something of value. Money was out of the question, she already had enough to live comfortably. Contacts in the Gotham Underworld? At best they would be able to provide her with introductions to the likes of the the Riddler, Two-Face, maybe a Carmine Falcone. In terms of the Batman Rogue Gallery, the Ventriloquist tried to limit his meetings with them as much as possible. The only one they had consistent dealings with was....the Penguin! Yes! The Penguin was connected to all types of dealings, social classes, weapons, politics, lobbyists, lawyers, doctors, scientists, business men, etc..etc. But the Penguin had been not been seen in town for ages. Still that was an alternative.
Physical force was obviously out of the question. There was always the idea of trying to persuade the police that she had been an accomplice of theirs, but the problem to that was who would believe the Ventriloquist, a established Gotham City crime boss, over Pamela Isley, the victim of a previous crime and a member of Gotham's social elite. Dagnabit, they always ran into that barrier.
Isley returned from the greenhouse carrying a role of duct-tape and a pot of blue flowers. Scarface decided to sit back and watch to see how this played out. Perhaps the dummy was coming to an end of his usefulness.
******************************************************
When someone is in a poor emotional state it is always hard to control their emotions and gather themselves without taking a step back to take themselves out of the moment for a minuter or two. And for someone like Arnold Wesker, who had no positive form of internal coping to battle poor cognitive functioning it was even worse.
In addition to this, the Ventriloquist was still in the middle of the situation, if it wasn't for Scarface who knows what would have happened. He would probably have said something or done something to get himself killed. When Scarface told him to 'shut-up' he obeyed. But that did not take away from him being distraught and in the frightened state Arnold Wesker was feeling now.
The Ventriloquist almost soiled himself when Poison Isley approached him with the plant of flowers.
"Since I don't need anything from you now, let's just say that I get one thing from you whenever I feel like asking for it,"
"Plants! No more plants! Please!" He screeched in response. Even though the petunias looked innocent enough, after what the Ventriloquist had been through in the past 24 hours even a small sunflower appeared like a giant Venus fly trap to him.
It was a natural reaction for the Ventriloquist to flinch when she drew near to him, he flinched but did not turn away.
"Good night."
The pollen from the flowers were successful in their effect. Seconds later after inhaling the pollen the Ventriloquist had lost consciousness.
****************************************************** (An hour later)
The Ventriloquist awoke. He was not sure where he was, or what type of condition he was in. All he knew was that he was bound somehow, and that he was still wearing the shredded tuxedo.
Frantically looking around, he cried out in a meek voice.
"Scareface? Where is Mister Scarface? Where are you Mister Scarface?!"
It was obvious the first thing the villain sought when he regained sight, sound, taste, feeling, and smell was the location of his only friend. He was looking for the ACTUAL physical representation Scarface Mannequin.
Where am I? Where is Isley? Where are my weapons? How am I bound? Where is Scarface?!
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Payback
Feb 24, 2011 2:19:17 GMT -5
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Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Feb 24, 2011 2:19:17 GMT -5
Poison Ivy hadn't bothered to move the Ventriloquist from the spot on the ground where her vines had left him after she shooed them all away with her touch. It was there that she'd carefully bound his legs together and his hands behind his back with the duct tape - and she did a decent job of both making sure that she did it in a way that wouldn't harm him and wouldn't allow him to escape, though she'd used entirely too much of the stuff just like the frightened young socialite she pretended to be would. Scarface was likewise exactly where he'd been dropped before, though the tommy gun and lead pipe are nowhere to be found - she's stashed them in her lab for safe keeping until she could hand them over to the authorities.
Another meek voice can be heard from the direction of the lab, and if the Ventriloquist lifts up his head to look Pamela can be seen sitting on one of the counters, talking into her phone while idly watching him. If he listens carefully enough, it's possible to hear her half of the conversation: "... I'm keeping an eye on him just in case, but I don't think he can get away. I never thought that I'd ever have to tie someone up like this ... oh, that's kind of you to say, but I haven't been this frightened since - well, that doesn't matter ... oh, well I was attacked like this a few years ago, but it was much worse. He was someone I trusted and I nearly died. And he got away ... I know, but at least this time I'm okay - how long did you say that it will take them to get here? ..."
The nice lady who answered when she dialed 911 had offered to stay on the line until the police arrived, and like any very frightened young lady she'd taken her up on that offer. No doubt the recording of this conversation would be reviewed, and here's a chance for her to play all of the cards she has that might help: the innocence card, the 'too sweet to do terrible things' card, the repeat victim card, and everything else she could think up. And she'll repeat it all again to whatever officials show up, and probably win them over just as easily. But it's all an act, as evidenced by how even as she continues on sounding like a frightened young lady who is trying to be brave in a difficult situation, when she sees that he's now fully awake a smug smile crosses her face.
And obviously she was busy while he was unconscious: the vines are now back against the walls, looking totally benign again. Every bit of evidence she noticed that might raise eyebrows has been collected and hidden or destroyed. She even went back into the house and destroyed the note about her; while the evidence that he'd been planning on attacking her would have helped her case, that his stated reason for doing so was because she was dangerous would not. If she doesn't do this right then she'll be utterly ruined, so she's being very, very careful. But if the odds weren't so heavily in her favor, she wouldn't have picked this option in the first place.
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Payback
Feb 24, 2011 15:08:46 GMT -5
Last Edit: Feb 24, 2011 15:15:11 GMT -5 by sincereagape
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Post by simba on Feb 24, 2011 15:08:46 GMT -5
Were Batman to hear that someone else had become the self-appointed "Crime Boss of Gotham City"'s arch-nemesis, he'd almost be hurt. Almost. Then again, if Superman is the Man of Steel, Batman is the Heart of Steel. And besides, really, he had no complaint at a bunch of villains attacking each other. It showed weakness in the necessary structure of crime in Gotham City, however faint. The bigger concern was what threat organized crime would be replaced with. In Batman's experience, when one enemy is finally defeated, it only and ever results in a new, stronger one arriving in its wake.
Batman swept silently across the lawn, landing in the shadow of Isley's laboratory. That the police had received a call about the Ventriloquist was reason enough for him to arrive. That a 'pampered academic' such as Ms. Isley was the one to call made it all the more pertinent that he get there quickly. The Batmobile was parked and hidden a short distance away, and Bruce knew his time was short. He had one goal, and one goal only. If he could avoid encountering Isley in the process, it would be all the better.
The Batman grabbed his grappling hook from his belt and immediately shot it upwards, latching the hook onto the lab's roof. He flicked the trigger and with a 'THWIICK!' the Batman swung up atop the top side of the building. He used the perch to survey his surroundings; how could someone like Isley apprehend a gangster like the Ventriloquist? Batman knew the Ventrioquist had a... thing... for this Isley character, given the files Robin and batgirl were able to snatch. But Isley was the variable in this equation.
The police would likely shrug it off to a young lady somehow managing to get the upper hand on some greedy criminal. Batman, however, knew better. And that was to be the thorn in Isley's plan. The Batman looked down to see the dummy laying thoughtlessly at Wesker's side. He was going to need both of them to get the answers he needs. The Batman brought up his gauntlet and pointed his fist at Wesker. He could tell the poor man had been pumped full of chemicals enough, but he was going to need the dummy unconscious. Sorry, Wesker. With a tap of a button on the side of his gauntlets, a dart lifted before suddenly shooting straight towards Wesker's neck.
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Payback
Feb 24, 2011 18:35:21 GMT -5
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Post by sincereagape on Feb 24, 2011 18:35:21 GMT -5
"It's 'gout time ye woke up Dummy.."
"Mis--ter Scar--face, " the Ventriloquist whispered hoping that Isley would not hear.
"Help me up."
The Ventriloquist shuffled over towards the Scarface mannequin and turned his back towards It, so that the hands which were bound behind him would be able to help the capo into a sitting position. Wesker struggled with this action, making some strained grunts, and actually falling over once or twice before putting Scarface right side up.
"Was it reall' dat tough?"
"So--sor-sorry Mister Scarface. It's easier then it looks."
"Excuses, excuses. Yer always filled with excuses," Scarface snapped before It inquired "Now where is Isley?"
Looking in the direction of the laboratory, the Ventriloquist spotted Poison Ivy casually sitting on one of the counter tops. Listening in on the conversation, he was able to hear snip-its here and there. Isley was playing the role of the damsel in distress, and from the sound of it, she was good at it. Maybe there was a minor in acting somewhere with that PHD in Botany.
Poison Ivy gave the Ventriloquist a conceited smile as they briefly made eye contact. This resulted in the Ventriloquist being physically startled, his body jumping back in a motion similar to running into someone from around the corner who you did not know was there. In the mind of the Ventriloquist, this woman was unpredictable, even though she thought through things rationally. He was very paranoid about Isley, and believed at any moment she could beckon for one of her plants to choke him to death or drop a drip of the sarin into the air.
"Ye 'getter star' preparin' yerself for cafeteria food and prison g'ars dummy, cause the slammer is where ye're headed."
Right now the jail house would be a paradise to this frightening greenhouse where literally anything and everything that was alive is willing to hurt him at a simple command. The Ventriloquist rested the side of his head on the floor of the laboratory and curled up into a ball. He buried his face into his knees and began to shiver. All the while his eyes darted to and fro, as he watched the large vines scaling the walls of the warehouse, having flashbacks of when they lashed out to torture him.
There wasn't even a sound. And despite keeping his eyes on the ceiling, the Ventriloquist did not see Batman. The incoming dart was deflected by the same forms of vegetation that had eaten up the bullets from his tommy-gun. The Ventriloquist did not hear the sound of the plants in motion, but Scarface did.
"Who's dere?! Who's dere?!" Scarface yelled out. In a side note, the Scarface mannequin still sat on the ground, with a grouchy expression on It's face. It was simply staring at a wall.
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Payback
Feb 24, 2011 19:49:12 GMT -5
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Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Feb 24, 2011 19:49:12 GMT -5
For Pamela, being a good actress came hand in hand with being the beautiful daughter of wealthy, but distant parents. Because she had money, she had ample opportunity to be around powerful people. Because she was beautiful, she got their attention. And by learning to convince someone she despised that they were her close friends or pretend she was happy when she was really angry, she got them to do whatever she wanted even before she learned to enhance that effect with pheromones. So it was a skill that she picked up in childhood, and by now she's very good at it indeed.
But it's not an act when she startles at the sight and sound of the grasses suddenly deflecting something. What it was or where it came from is impossible for her to say, but she can see the action of the plants quite easily from where she's sitting. And the quiet sound of the dart landing on the floor tells her that it wasn't something harmless like a hyperactive fly going fast enough to set them off. Instead it was a substantial object going fast enough that it must have been fired or at least thrown. Was it a bullet from a sniper? Could the Ventriloquist have backup? No, Scarface's yelling proved that he didn't know who it was either. Who else could it be then? It wasn't the police - she hasn't seen any flashing lights or heard any sirens, and why would they be firing into the greenhouse?
A question at the other end of the phone snaps her out of it. "I think I heard something," she timidly informs the woman on the other end of the line as she hops off the counter and walks into the greenhouse area, though she avoids going straight in the direction of her captive. If someone's trying to attack, then she wants to be fully within range of the grasses. She doesn't have to fake the concerned look on her face as she peers through glass walls, especially in the direction of the shattered doorway, but the night is dark and it's difficult to see anything outside thanks to how well-lit the building is inside.
And in her inexperience with everything bat-like, she neglects to look up, even though the roof is also glass except for directly around the lab area in the back of the building. "It's not the police; they haven't arrived yet ... yes ... well I don't see anyone," she adds, and proceeds to ignore the operator's advice on being careful and reassurances that she could also be just hearing things because she's just been through such a stressful situation. No, that was definately something.
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Payback
Feb 25, 2011 23:44:53 GMT -5
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Post by simba on Feb 25, 2011 23:44:53 GMT -5
Well, that went... entirely and exactly the opposite of what he expected. Since when do plants suddenly leap up from the ground and deflect things? Batman stared down at the dummy and its master for what seemed like an overly-long moment. One single thing had fallen into place, but it was one that eased Batman's mind more than, perhaps, an entire evening with the Ventriloquist could have done. Just with that single action, he gleaned a bit of information that may just provide a single, additional piece of this puzzle.
It wasn't all that difficult to deduce why the Ventriloquist was here, after making just a few brief assumptions, after all. Getting beyond the assumption that Ms. Isley was just your normal, everyday academic fellow was the first. Leaping to the idea that she was capable of much greater, more terrifying things, on the other hand, was a much greater leap, and one Batman was not yet totally sure he could make. And then, there is the bigger issue of Isley's motives, and where on the spectrum of good and evil she could possibly belong. It was a picture that a great swatch just suddenly got filled in, but still had such an empty canvas that he could only take an educated guess as to what it could be. There was just one more test he could do. And it was a dangerous one, one in which he would have to step very carefully or risk losing his life in the process, if things go down a particular road.
Projectiles were out. The Batman wasn't about to go knocking out an innocent woman, either. The Ventriloquist would be useful to apprehend, but he was no longer the primary objective; the police would lock him up into Arkham without any great difficulty. The key, now, is to get as much information about Isley as he could, and then get out of there. And there was only one way to do that.
Batman clicked the trigger to his grappling hook and landed on the ground with an almost-silent silent 'fffph!' as his boots hit the grass. "You've got one hell of a gardener," Batman's gruff voice muttered from beneath his cowl as he stood up, letting his cape drape around his form to make him nearly invisible in the dark night.
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Payback
Feb 26, 2011 1:03:55 GMT -5
Last Edit: Feb 26, 2011 1:50:19 GMT -5 by sincereagape
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Post by sincereagape on Feb 26, 2011 1:03:55 GMT -5
This was the second time Scarface and the Ventriloquist had ever crossed paths with Batman. In their first encounter Batman had somehow convinced Scarface that they was a rat in the gang, and to further add insult, had managed to manipulate the Capo into believing that the traitor was Arnold Wesker. The Caped Crusader had managed to break down the psychological aspects of the villain's insanity and play it against one another.
Even though he fell from nearly two stories high to land on the lawn, the sound Batman made when his feet hit the grass resembled a light footed person taking a soft step onto the same floor. It wasn't until the vigilante spoke, when the Ventriloquist had noticed his arrival.
"You've got one hell of a gardener," The voice was deep and resonating.
Still bound by the duct tape and laying on his side, the Ventriloquist shuffled in the direction towards Batman, if one were to look from a bird's eyes view down onto the scene it would look like the Ventriloquist's body was contorted into an "S" shape on the ground.
The Ventriloquist's distraught face looked up at Batman with a slight ray of hope. It almost appeared as if the Ventriloquist was glad to see him. The Ventriloquist groaned as he knocked over Scarface using his forehead so that the mannequin was also facing towards Batman.
"G'atman! Thanks goodness yer hear! Ye gotta protect us from dis woman. She's evil I tell yas, evil!"
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Payback
Feb 26, 2011 4:40:34 GMT -5
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Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Feb 26, 2011 4:40:34 GMT -5
Missing the sound of his arrival entirely, Pamela startles and whirls around to face the source of the voice that seems to come out of nowhere. "It's Batman," she says quietly to herself. This is completely unexpected and unwelcome! But fortunately for her, the woman on the other end of the line assumes the statement is for her and the response to it reminds Pamela how she ought to respond to this turn of events. Recovering quickly from her surprise, Pamela sounds greatly relieved as she says goodbye to woman on the phone, "Yes, I'm sure I'll be fine now, thank you for all your help."
Hanging up with a push of a button, she graces Batman with a look of pure gratitude and adoration - the damsel in distress greeting the hero. "Thank you for coming!" she says immediately, "Oh, and thank you - this grass is my finest work. It saved my life today and..." She'd go on, but that's when she's interrupted by Scarface.
And his words prompt a hurt and fearful expression. Indeed, Pamela looks almost on the verge of tears as she counters that with, "He comes to my house, threatens to kill me if I don't help him, and... well, what else could I do? He told me he'd go after my friends and family next if I called the police. So I let him in and hide in here; the grass makes it safe from guns at least. But it wasn't enough for him and he came in here and tried to kill me - came after me with a pipe when the gun didn't work. And... well, I'm not sure what happened, it all happened so fast, but I managed to wrestle the pipe away from him - I have it and the gun in the lab if you want to see them - and he got so frightened that it was easy after that. And now he calls me evil? The man is insane!"
Having rehearsed this story over and over to herself, aside from the detail about the grass which she'd hoped to omit (oh well - there's no hope for that now so she might as well use it), it comes out as quickly and effortlessly as someone explaining the rotten day they had at work. But she has to purposefully avoid looking at the Ventriloquist and Scarface in order to avoid bursting out laughing, so she turns away instead and pretends to not be able to bear looking at her alleged tormentor.
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Payback
Feb 27, 2011 23:35:02 GMT -5
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Post by simba on Feb 27, 2011 23:35:02 GMT -5
Batman takes a moment to survey the situation, his eyes turning from the Ventriloquist to the greenhouse to Pamela and then back again to the Ventriloquist once more. What a very strange situation... the evil mastermind is trying to claim that someone /else/ is evil. Well, Ventriloquist definitely isn't an evil mastermind, no... he narrows his eyes a bit behind his cowl before seeming to ignore Scarface's pleas.
He listens to Pamela's pleads for help, glancing over at the dummy once more for a moment before crossing his arms in front of him. "Your finest work?" the Batman repeats quietly before looking down at the grass for just a moment. That is... well, strange. And even more strange that she seems to have been able to take down someone much larger and, generally, much more intimidating than she could hope to be. He looks straight into Pamela's eyes for a moment before nodding once.
"I'll take care of Ventriloquist from here, then," the Batman says before turning from Pamela and stepping towards the prone villain, as though no longer paying any attention to Pamela in the slightest. Naturally, given that it's Batman, that isn't exactly the truth. Pamela may be playing the innocent part well, but she certainly isn't out of his mind as far as 'trouble' goes.
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Payback
Feb 28, 2011 11:14:43 GMT -5
Last Edit: Feb 28, 2011 14:26:19 GMT -5 by sincereagape
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Post by sincereagape on Feb 28, 2011 11:14:43 GMT -5
It was nearly impossible for most villains, most criminals, most rogues to gauge what Batman was thinking. There were four, possibly five members of the malevolent cast who could possibly decipher the thought process of the Caped Crusader. Perhaps the first was the Penguin, who’s affluent education and consistent information brokering with Batman had resulted in a ‘mutual’ understanding. The Penguin was left to his bureaucracy of the Gotham Underworld as long as he continued to provide the inside scoop. Two-Face seemed to understand. However, Two-Face always seemed to remain his own man, his own entity and this resulted in his life not being revolved around Batman.
Ra’s Al’Ghul knew, understood, thought like, and even on times had worked with Batman to accomplish tasks. Then there was the Riddler, arguably the villain with the highest IQ. If the Riddler took time to study Bruce Wayne and the patterns of Batman, there is a good change he would give the defender of Gotham a run for his money. And then finally, there was the Joker. A story is circulating through the villains of the world of when the Joker had joined Lex Luthor’s Injustice Gang. Luthor had managed to escape from Batman and the Justice League; the following night the Joker had paid a visit to them. The Joker uncovered a homing device in the shape of a miniature bat which had been planted on Copperhead. Members of that group had gone on record stating that this was the Joker’s quote when asked by Luthor how he knew about the beacon, “Because I know how the Bat thinks.”
Thus, it was extremely difficult to analyze what was going on in the mind of Gotham Cities Defender. He had appeared to ignore Scarface’s first cry for help, and began to focus on Poison Ivy and engage in brief dialogue with her. The Ventriloquist held his breath after Isley’s statement of innocence. The anticipation was so great in his mind that he actually closed his eyes as Batman thought. Still bound, he did not have much of a choice.
When Batman walked over to helpless form, and said "I'll take care of Ventriloquist from here, then,"
The Ventriloquist deeply exhaled as if he had volunteered for the circus knife trick and had not gotten killed. Or Robin Hood had managed to successfully shoot the apple off the top of his head with no problem. A wide eyed expression of elation and joy came across his face. Jubilation, glee, excitement, and relief! The Ventriloquist inched his body closer to Batman’s, flopping around on the floor like a fish out of water.
“Thank you Batman! Thank you! I’ll sign a confession stating that I am guilty of robbing the Third National Bank of Gotham, I’ll even swear by oath that I tried to attack Pamela Isley in the middle of the night. I’ll be more then willing to go to either Arkham Asylum or Black Gate Penitentiary. Please! I beg of you. Just get me away from HER!”
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Payback
Feb 28, 2011 13:51:31 GMT -5
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Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Feb 28, 2011 13:51:31 GMT -5
He's suspicious. And Pamela doesn't need to be able to guess what Batman is thinking to know that; that the entire situation is suspicious is blatantly obvious to anyone with half a brain and, though she has a pretty poor opinion of men in general, she'll assume that Batman can see the obvious. But let him be suspicious - he can't connect her to any crime, she's been much too careful for that! Still, she'll hazard an attempt ease some of it away...
"Yes - so far anyway. I had a very good teacher, and he always said that he thought that I would surpass him. I'm close, but not yet. They're plant-animal hybrids: that's how they're able to move so fast. Designed to harmlessly deflect bullets, obviously. I created them because the people who hire me for commission work are so... uncreative. They ask me for useless, pretty things when I could sell them something more expensive, and they were meant to demonstrate that..." she rambles on before trailing off, as if in her upset she's unable to keep herself quiet without some effort.
Noticing that she no longer seems to have Batman's attention, Pamela quietly walks back in the direction of the lab - though she only goes far enough to set the phone down on the nearest counter. The lab is open to the greenhouse, so it's easy enough to keep an eye on her as she pulls up stool, rests her elbows on the counter, puts her hands on her forehead, and closes her eyes. Certainly looks nothing worth the terror that the Ventriloquist seems to hold for her, but she's noticed that the man tends to panic very quickly the moment the tables are turned and she's hoping that Batman is familiar with this as well. It lends credibility to the last part of her story, and gives lesser weight to the level of his fear now.
And she seems perfectly content to remain there: the very picture of a woman trying to mentally cope with a difficult situation that's now being handled by someone else. Which isn't very far removed from the truth, actually. While she expected to come to the attention of Batman sooner or later, she'd hoped to delay that as much as possible. But now, thanks to this idiot, she's under the magnifying glass. She should have just killed him. If she ever decides to collect on that favor, it's going to be a very big one.
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Payback
Mar 6, 2011 16:21:02 GMT -5
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Post by simba on Mar 6, 2011 16:21:02 GMT -5
Batman most ignores The Ventriloquist's frantic pleas for assistance. Anyone with a weak spine and a loud mouth will say just about anything and everything to make an attempt to turn the situation back in their favor. The better villains of Gotham City know better than to just start bawling in such a way; it never changes Batman's perspective on things. Then again, very few people, and very few villains in particular, understand how the Bat works. The Batman, after all, knows when someone has already broken and will do exactly as The Ventriloquist said he would do. He doesn't need to be told and pleaded to. It's just a waste of air. Then again, 'waste of air' is pretty much exactly what The Ventriloquist is.
As for Isley... well, he does listen to what she has to say. Every word. Even though he's also quite sure that she's lying through just about every word she said after 'had a very good teacher'. There was more here than what she let on. Then again, the absence of knowledge is often just as telling as the actual knowledge itself. To know what someone would lie about is sometimes more telling than if they had told the truth in the first place. Batman isn't the World's Greatest Detective for nothing, mind you.
"Stay here until the police are here, Isley," the Batman says quick, gruffly, a barely-spoken word of caution that he would tell any other poor victim of such an attempted heinous crime as the Ventriloquist would commit . Short, concise, perhaps a bit terse. That's the way The Batman rolls, after all. He slips over and grabs the Ventriloquist, tugging him up and blindfolding him in just a single moment, grabbing Scarface in his other gauntlet-covered hand. And with a sudden sweep of his pitch-black cape, the Batman appeared to disappear right into thin air, slipping into the protective shadows of the night.
... A short distance away, Batman tossed the blindfolded man and his dummy into the trunk of the Batmobile, wrists and ankles still bound. Batman tapped his gauntlet, the squeaking of a radio sounding. "Robin? Meet me at the south-most warehouse on the docks. We've got a friend to talk to..."
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Payback
Mar 6, 2011 22:39:08 GMT -5
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Post by sincereagape on Mar 6, 2011 22:39:08 GMT -5
The Ventriloquist nor Scarface resisted or argued when Batman blind-folded him and then left Poison Isley's greenhouse. It actually came as quiet a relief to him. The Ventriloquist hung limply from Batman's grasp, keeping his eyes closed the entire time back to the Batmobile.
It has been a long night for the villain. Being tangled, overwhelmed, choked, scratched, beaten and strangled by the in-human vegetation of Isley's creations had defeated him physically. Her taunts, dis-respect of his power, breaking of his will, reminders of his poor resilence, and instillation of terror had beaten the Ventriloquist emotionally and mentally.
He wanted nothing to do with Poison Ivy for the rest of the evening, and the Batman had granted him his request mercy. All the Ventriloquist wanted to do was be thrown in Arkham and have the key to his cell buried somewhere in a haystack after everything that had transpired in the past 48 hours.
There was a high pitched groan as Batman threw the Ventriloquist into the trunk of the Bat-mobile. The Ventriloquist spent only a few moments thinking about their next destination, anywhere would be good as long as it was far away from the northern district of Gotham City.
Finally having a moment to fully absorb everything that had happened tonight, the Ventriloquist started to blubber once again. In the back of his trunk, Batman began to hear the sound of a grown man crying.
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Payback
Mar 6, 2011 23:45:25 GMT -5
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Post by Pamela Isley - Poison Ivy on Mar 6, 2011 23:45:25 GMT -5
Actually, up until the point where she started explaining why she created the grass, Pamela had been completely truthful. And after that it hadn't been lies so much as half-truths. Then again, she merges truths, half-truths, and lies so easily that one is better off just assuming that anything she says can't be believed.
A large part of her wants to object to Batman taking the Ventriloquist himself rather than the police - whatever Batman wants to do with the man can't be good for her. But she reminds herself that the Ventriloquist can prove nothing, and the innocent woman she's pretending to be would have no reason to object at all. She can and will just grin and bear the results of this. Without proof, she'll remain free, and if she's free she can continue her crusade. And it shouldn't be that difficult to continue her crusade even knowing that she's aroused some suspicions. She'll just have to be that much more careful, is all, and how hard could that be?
Instead, she remains exactly where she is, only moving when she's spoken to, and replying with, "Yes, of course! And thank you again, for all of your help." She graces Batman with a smile as he disappears, and goes back to quietly waiting for the police. It gives her great pleasure to note that Batman didn't seem to pay much attention to the crime scene. Probably thinks that he can get everything he needs from the Ventriloquist... The thought would make her smile if it wouldn't seem odd for her to smile at nothing right now, and she'll be on her best behavior so long as she's possibly being watched.
Instead she mulls her story over in her head again as she waits to tell it once more to the police, and ponders over what more she can do to ensure that this doesn't come back to bite her.
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