Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 5, 2011 4:13:30 GMT -5
That Edward seems so surprised when she agrees is almost comical to Nina, though she's well able to contain that bit of humor - for a moment at least. She had been so suspicious of his every action for so long that had even felt a bit odd to her to be able to agree so easily, but she had drawn the line, he'd said he'd respect it, and she didn't have to be afraid. That changes a few things. When he tells her to hold on she stops and waits, letting her amusement reach her face once he's out of sight, though by the time he returns she manages to have her expression back under control.
Once again Nina doesn't have the slightest idea what to expect, but his statements as he returns first cause confusion, then a flash of realization, and then a somewhat firm expression takes over. He means a costume. Actually, a certain part of her knows the appeal - in the context of Halloween, anyway. She'd worn one every year as she asked her neighbors for candy and then to the parties when she outgrew that. At least until some point during college when her focus on her studies made that seem unimportant. She understands the whole idea of being able to, in essence, change who you are by changing what you're wearing - though she finds the idea of doing so on a regular day a bit, well, silly.
However, there's a problem: her mind flashes back to her first boyfriend and the first time ever took him shopping. He'd worn an expression not unlike the one now on Edward's face as he pulled something very... unsubstantial off the rack and asked her 'Why don't you ever wear anything like this for me?'. And she hadn't a clue at the time how to begin to answer that. Then again, that happened literally half of Nina's life ago.
"Edward," she starts, her tone indicating quite clearly that this is, indeed, a lecture, "When I pick something to wear, I don't have to just consider what I look like wearing it, or what a particular person would think about it, but what everyone would think about it. I have to ask myself: What kind of thoughts would this put into their heads? What kind of person would they assume that I am? How would they think that I ought to be treated? In short, what does this say about me? What I normally wear, for example, says that I am a professional woman that ought to be treated with respect. What would whatever is behind your back say about me?"
Lecture over, she folds her arms and waits to see what he has to say to that. She has no idea what he may have, but the odds are high that it isn't something that says anything complimentary about the person who would choose to wear it. It may be a stereotype that a man isn't very good at picking out clothing for a woman, but it's one that Nina has found to be true except in cases of men who have been trained to approach the task properly or have a natural instinct for it. And based on prior experience, she's guessing that the odds that Edward is either one of them are extremely low. That it's a costume makes the odds plummet even further.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2011 10:39:35 GMT -5
When his name easily falls off her tongue for the second time he felt that strange trace of happiness creeping in the background, but soon he realizes that her tone indicates one of her many speeches. He smirked. While most men would find the concept of a woman 'lecturing' nagging, he found them entertaining. They gave him a glimpse into her mind. There were only a few exceptions where he did not appreciate it, and he had let her know his lack of appreciation back with the Ventriloquist.
However, this he listened to, his smirk never falling. When she had finished with a challenging look in his direction he only felt the need to come over to her, so he did. “My dear,” he began as he walked over, keeping the outfit hidden behind his back, “Why would you let the opinion of those less intelligent then you dictate how you dress? The masses are easily manipulated by the fashion and clothing industries to believe what they wear is appropriate for certain settings. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t like being controlled.” He stopped right in front of herlooking down into her eyes. “Besides that fact though,” he said pulling out the long sleeve green leotard with a black question mark on the front, “to answer your question, this say’s ‘You’re with me.’” He used his hand and brought the top of the leotard to her shoulder and his other hand to hold the side of the leotard low on her waist so the small fabric was stretched across her body.
He does a slow once over of her body imagining exactly how her curves would be more revealed in such an outfit, how her legs would look so long and slender with some fishnet stocking, and how her slender neck will lead perfectly down into the cut of the top. While it sounds like he was drooling, he was doing no such thing. He held the same expression he had when he tried to solve any puzzle: thoughtful and caring. He finally ended up back at her eyes. Once again he had an urge to kiss her and feel her body, but he stopped himself. “Green and purple, there are no colors better,” he stated with a half smile as he moved only an inch closer to her.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 5, 2011 12:12:33 GMT -5
At least if she's going to have to teach Edward from scratch how to treat her properly, he isn't going to be upset about it. Actually, any reaction he might have that includes him actually paying attention is a good one, in Nina's book. Then again, there's a difference between listening to what she says and agreeing with her logic.
The pursed lips that appear the same moment as the leotard say it all, though Nina forces herself to be patient. She'd guessed that it would be horrible, but she'd hadn't the slightest idea that it would be this horrible. "Hmm, yes, it certainly says that," she says initially, trying desperately to fend off being rendered speechless. "It also says: 'I am an object', 'my body is more important than my mind', and 'I have no respect for myself, so why should you?'. Is that really what you want me to be saying to everyone, no matter how unintelligent they are?" she has to ask, both wondering what, exactly, is going on in his head and guessing that she doesn't want to know. It's hard enough to ignore the question of why, exactly, he happens to possess this article of clothing - she's realized, of course, that he has a past that she probably doesn't want to know about for more than one reason, but that doesn't mean that she likes seeing evidence of it.
But, sensing a larger issue at work here, she adds, "I thought that this would be obvious, but perhaps I need to say it: I will never be completely under your control, Edward - that's a part of who I am. Especially my wardrobe if you think that is a good idea. But you don't need to mark something as yours if nobody can steal it from you." While she's guessing that there's any number of things that could conceivably come between them, another man is not one of them. Mostly because Nina simply can't fathom the idea that she could possibly care more about someone else, but also partly because one of her many good traits is loyalty.
Looking up from the leotard to meet his gaze, she's not at all immune to the sheer thrill of having him so very close. However, whatever impulses that may cause her hit solidly against the wall presented by the leotard held between them. Not the bit of fabric itself, but whatever idea prompted it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2011 15:30:13 GMT -5
He couldn’t help the humorous smile from dancing on his face. He almost laughed. The pursed lips and the slight glare to the outfit did not go unnoticed by him. He wasn’t surprised. He knew Nina would never let someone objectify her, and while he understood her reasoning he couldn’t help but mess with her. He listened to her other interpretation of the outfit, and loved how she could be so serious when talking about it with such distaste and sarcasm.
His response was taunting. “Oh? I just thought this was a silly piece of fabric,” he stated lifting the leotard up slightly as he glanced at it, “I didn’t know it embodied the antifeminist movement. You know some people believe this says ‘I feel proud of my body and will not let other judge me,’ but that’s not my real issue with your argument. I must ask again, why does it matter what other’s, mostly stupid, opinions are on you as long as your opinion of yourself is held high? The only people I take into consideration are the one’s I already respect intellectually.” Of course, while it was all true that wasn’t the real reason he wanted Nina to wear the costume. He just wanted to see her in it.
Her last statement shook the smirk off his face. He liked knowing that she planned to stay loyal to him, but he hadn’t even considered someone stealing her from him. He automatically understood where Nina’s thought process was going and why she degraded the fabric even more. She saw it as an attempt to control her. It wasn’t. He knew he couldn’t force her to do anything. It was for that very reason he had difficulty telling her anything because he was afraid she would reject it and he would be forced to stop with his plan. He lowered the leotard in his cane hand so there was no longer the fabric between them. “My plan was never to control you,” he stated….at the same time realizing he actually didn’t have any plan for her. If he had a plan he might not be as confused as he felt. “Nor to mark you,” he continued. In reality, he would never let Nina walk out in such an outfit. It would be screaming his weakness to every enemy he had….unless by some miracle they thought she was just another henchgirl. It had been a long time since he had female employees, mostly because every other rogue started calling him a pimp, but it was still possible for them to mistake her for an employee....off topic.
He brought his focus back to the woman in front of him. He saw a strand of her hair dangling in front of her face. Without his consent, his hand gently traveled across her face pushing the hair into place. His hand lingered there for a moment as he took in her features and felt the overwhelming response of his heart rate. He smirked at his own reaction. It was becoming so ridiculous that he was starting not to care. “To be honest, Nina,” he stated taking a step forward so there literally wasn’t any room between them. His hand still touched her cheek as he leaned his lips closer to hers. He could feel her breath along his lips, and while he desperately wanted to kiss her he also wanted to observe her reactions. He wanted to see if she was just as confused as him, just as flustered. “I was merely curious to see how beautiful you would look in it, and you know me with curiosity. I can’t let it go until I’ve solved it,” he said in almost a whisper.
He would have kissed her then if his phone hadn’t have vibrated in his pocket. Allen must be downstairs. He frowned still staying frozen in his place before finally letting go of her. He reached his hand in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He read the text quickly. He was right. “We should get going,” he stated to her as he put up his phone.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 5, 2011 17:43:01 GMT -5
The way that Nina simply rolls her eyes at what other people think that sort of an outfit says is all the reply she'll give to that line of thought. People can justify wearing a lot of things with that sort of an argument, but that doesn't make their choice in clothing say what they want they want it to say - that's not up to the person who wears it. Instead, she allows her attention to turn to the actual question that he's asking. "Because whether I actually care about a person's opinion or not, they still have them. And they still make it that much easier or that much harder for me to interact with them," she explains simply, "And I don't know how well my opinion of myself would fare in something like that - it really is that bad." Not that she couldn't do the leotard justice, but because she doesn't know that she'd like the type of woman who would consent to wear it even if it was her.
When he becomes serious, she pays that much more attention to his words. And it pleases her a lot to know that her worries are unfounded. Of course, she doesn't have much time to reflect on that because then he's touching her face, and if that isn't enough to disrupt her thoughts then stepping all of the way to her certainly is. Her own heartbeat and breath come quicker, but though she shares some of his confusion it's to a much lesser degree. Instead she is calm and steady, and not only unworried by her own reactions but enjoying them in a way.
His quiet words prompt a smirk and she replies, "If you want to see me beautiful, I can do a lot better than that." Which is true enough: just because what she regularly wears does not attempt to make that statement doesn't mean that Nina doesn't know to do it. She simply hasn't had a reason for wearing anything that says that in a long time. And later she might reflect upon how what she normally wears also says 'Treat me like a businessperson, not a woman'. But she's incapable of doing so now. No, she's far too busy being very, very aware of just how close his lips are to hers. And it's so tempting to her to complete the kiss, but a stronger part of her is curious to see if he'll do it on his own.
Instead they're interrupted by his phone, and Nina isn't sure whether to be more amused or annoyed - though she finally settles on the latter when she reflects on just how much time she has to find out later. An amused smile crosses her face as she responds, "Then let's go." She's still eager to spend some time outside of this apartment and is curious about where they might be going.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2011 21:34:39 GMT -5
She seemed overly calm for a man invading her personal space, but her flirtatious comment leads him to believe that she liked him there. Her sharp breathing also hinted that maybe she wasn’t as calm as he thought. He smiled playfully at her remark and her readiness to come. He wasn’t sure when their conversations had become so easy and less stressful, but he honestly enjoyed it. He leaned back down and gave her a quick peck before heading to the hallway to grab the blue prints he leaned against the wall.
He couldn’t understand why, but he felt content. The pain in his leg felt numbed, he felt confident in his future plan, and he enjoyed the idea of Nina being with him. He grabbed the blue prints with his free hand then headed across his living room towards the exit passing Nina along the way. He nodded to her to follow and heard her steps behind him as he unlocked the metal door to his apartment. “Make sure the door is securely shut,” he said back to her as he pressed the button to the elevator. The elevator sounded with a ding as it opened up for them. He walked in with her pressing the lobby button, but when the door opened to the lobby he doesn’t walk to the front entrance. He took a left towards an employee side door. He typed in the code he had gotten off one of the front deskmen and swung it open to see his baby.
He smirked seeing the nice dark green sleek car. He normally always rode in the front, but with Nina with him he could sacrifice that enjoyment. He opened up the back door for her and waited as she made the short distance from the employee exit to his car. Once she was in he slid in next to her.
Allen’s big body, once again, seemed too large to fit in this small car. “Back to the warehouse,” Edward ordered as he shut the door.
“The chick coming with?” Allen asked.
“I feel that after the months you’ve worked for me, you know by now how I feel about stupid questions,” Edward said with a frown.
The big man nodded pressing on the gas to the car and pulling out onto the street. Edward looked outside the window. He watched as the wealthy beautiful buildings of North side changed into the business sector and eventually into falling over molded buildings of the east. It’s strange how the city can become dirty and disgusting only a few miles away. Of course, Edward was used to this drive. He had done it many times. They eventually pull up to a large warehouse a few blocks from the river with boarded up windows. It used to be a fishery that had gone out of business years ago. It had been abandoned until Ruth found the lease and sold it to him. Edward had gutted out the entire building and filled it with all of his…trinkets.
Allen stopped the car in front of the large double door entrance. A small boy was waiting in front and started pushing open the doors. When the doors were open Allen pulled the car in next to a white van. The warehouse was separated into four parts. The large front held most of the mechanical things he used for his riddles. They were spread across randomly on tabletops or on the ground, some were taken apart, some already looked dangerous, and others seemed barely put together. There were maps of roads, sewer routes, and electrical patterns all over the walls. One section of the wall was filled with news clippings of the Batman and string that connected certain events. A continual riddle he was trying to solve. There were three back rooms. One room held all of his computer equipment. Another was the lounge with kitchen, bathroom, and couches. The last was his storage.
He opened up his door to the smell of dirt and population. Oh East Gotham you never fail to disappoint. He doesn’t say anything to Nina. He felt slightly uncomfortable that she was seeing something only his men had ever seen. This warehouse was more important than his apartment. How do you start a conversation with that?
“Don’t touch anything on the floor or tables. They’re quite dangerous,” he warned. He walked to the desk in the corner pulling off the rubber band on the blue prints. He rolled opened the papers on the desk on top of other papers, creating a mental list in his mind of what he needed to check.
Robby shut the sliding doors, finally turning back to see the Boss, Al, and the woman getting out of the car. The Boss was already in his own world, doing the short responses and running about checking things he wanted until ordering him to do something. Robby’s hand was already shaking. The Boss wasn’t that bad of a guy, but he waved his gun around too much for the boy to be comfortable. He also watched the man kill his friend with a trap, that’s how Robby got pulled in with the Riddler. Al was there though. Al always kept his cool.
Robby’s eyes fell to the woman who he had been watching for the past few weeks. He didn’t quite understand how the woman managed to avoid the Riddler’s hatred so easily, but she did. She actually smiled at the man….
Robby took a deep breath and walked over to the older woman. “M-miss,” he started off looking down at his feet, “Do you want something to drink?” He knew it was better to polite to her then get the Riddler’s wrath later on. Al, of course, didn’t care. He was already heading back to the couch to watch the game the Riddler had interrupted with his text.
(OOC: I know this now takes place in east side, but I'm too lazy to make this a different thread)
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 5, 2011 23:46:38 GMT -5
The quick peck seems like small compensation for whatever the phone call may have interrupted but, almost regardless of anything else, Nina can say that she's excessively happy at the moment. Perhaps unreasonably so, if she were to listen to her logic, but at the moment that would be an unnecessary weakening of a very good mood. And she's quiet and content as they leave the apartment behind.
When they reach the car, Nina suppresses a laugh at the exchange between Allen and Edward, though she doesn't comment. Instead she too is distracted by watching the world pass by outside of the car; partly because she hasn't had anything very new to look at for a few days, but also because both the north and the east parts of Gotham are unfamiliar territory for her. She'd been in her little bubble that consisted of work, her apartment, and little else for so long...
Her unnatural level of bliss seems to fade with the deterioration of the scenery, though it doesn't go away completely. Being shut off from everything in that apartment made it seem separate from the real world, and here they are passing through it. She is, perhaps, more comfortable about the idea of being in east Gotham than the average woman who isn't used to the place, but then again that's simply because she has reason to be more confident than average in most places.
When the car slows and it's apparent that they've arrived... wherever they are, Nina's eyes go wide as she exits the car and simply takes in the surroundings. Her expression is deeply thoughtful but otherwise unreadable as she scans the room. In a way, this is a bit of a test for her. She'd said back in the luxurious apartment that she could accept everything except seeing people get hurt when that could be prevented, which means that she should, theoretically, be able to accept everything here. Which is such an easy thing to say when it's theoretical and another when it's all laid out right in front of her all at once.
"Okay," she says vaguely to the warning - a completely unnecessary one. Nina and mechanical things just... don't get along very well. And she's very, very well aware of that fact. And she hesitates to imagine what many of these ones are for. She's still standing there letting her eyes drift from one thing to another when Robby's question snaps her out of it. She smiles at his offer and replies, "I could use some water, thank you."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2011 15:33:56 GMT -5
Edward barely took note to Robby’s comment. He was too busy scribbling down a list of the things he believed he was missing. The animals would be the hardest because the Penguin was very careful when it came to black market animals. He hated animal abuse, and you had to give a detail account on how you planned to use them before he even allowed the sale to occur.
The true thing that bothered him about this riddle was that he would have to meet the obnoxious child again. It had felt like banging his head against wall the first time, and there conversation had been rather short. If he picked her up it would probably drag into an hour ordeal where she eventually called the cops. He could just grab her at night and drag her back, but that was a risky option and not very stylistic. What would be ideal would be if his men could pick up the girl as he deposit Crane’s riddle, but he couldn’t leave his henchmen to such a task.
“Here you go,” he heard Robby’s voice as the boy handed Nina a glass of water. If Edward had her power he could easily grab the girl. He wouldn’t even have to waste precious time that he could dedicate elsewhere. Of course, Edward did not possess some meta power….even though knowledge was the most powerful thing in the world. He would have to trick the girl into coming with him.
“D-do you want a tour?” the boy’s voice stuttered out, and Edward turned his head back to glance at the two. Nina was sipping on her water and Robby as always appeared to be a frightful mess.
Wait….
He had Nina….he had Nina’s power. No, he didn’t. She would say no, but then again her only rule was that he couldn’t hurt someone in front of her….would she?
“Nina,” he said standing up straighter and turning away from his blue prints and notes to face her, “How would you feel about saving a girl from a more traumatizing experience?” It was a true statement, even though the cocky smirk on his face disputed that. If she agreed the method would be much easier, and he wouldn’t have to see the girl again. Then again did he want to stick Nina with such a pitiable child….he puzzled it for a moment finally coming to the conclusion that while annoying Nina could easily handle her.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 6, 2011 17:23:15 GMT -5
There are so many things that I don't like in here, Nina finds herself thinking as she continues to scan the room. Mostly the more obviously dangerous mechanical devices - everything else seems relatively benign by contrast. Still, when she reminds herself that she doesn't have to like it, only accept it, she finds herself gradually managing to do so. She knows that she'll probably never see any of them in action, and knowing that makes it all so much easier. Even so, it's not exactly easy seeing for herself that he has these sorts of things just sitting around, waiting to be used...
The water is a mild, but still helpful, distraction. There's always something about doing some mundane activity that settles the nerves. When Robby asks if she'd like a tour, she's slow to respond - would a tour make things easier or harder for her right now? But she's saved from having to answer that question when a much, much more difficult one is asked.
The immediate frown indicates that Nina instantly doesn't like it at all. Enough that her first comment is, "That question isn't horribly manipulative at all, is it?" One might get the impression that it may have been better to have not asked in the first place. Then again, the question can't be unasked now, and rather than continuing on to reject the idea Nina appears to be mulling that one over to herself.
A few thoughtful sips of water later she says, "That would really depend on what the less traumatizing experience is - I'd want details." Which is a bit of a rhetorical statement, since it wasn't that long ago that she expressed such a strong desire to not even know about someone getting hurt - there's an obvious unspoken undertone here indicating that Nina should never be asked a question like that if it will involve someone getting hurt, whether that includes this one or not.
Nina doesn't like to use her gift on people for anything that isn't directly helpful to them - she didn't even like paralyzing the Ventriloquist, even though that had been very necessary at the time. But on the other hand, the question asked directly states that her involvement would prevent something from being worse, and she can't turn her back on that without knowing what it is that she's turning down.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2011 1:14:00 GMT -5
He noticed the frown immediately and can’t admit to being surprised. The chances of Nina agreeing to this are slim, but why not give it a chance. As campaign managers tell every rising politician, with framing you can convince someone to do anything.
Her comment caused a humored smile to cross his face. Her intelligence was definitely something that attracted him to her. “I’m only being honest,” he said as he walked in her direction, “I thought you would appreciate my more…sensitive approach to handling the average.” He watched as she seemed to be thinking over his question. She wasn’t out right rejecting it making it seem feasible that she possibly would help him. If they didn’t hold such different views on society and values they could easily become an uncatchable team. His intelligence and her power could allow him to accomplish anything…but if they did hold the same values Edward doubted he would find her interesting.
Her next statement again was not rejecting but rather open to hearing the idea. He paused for a moment debating how detailed he should go. Hadn’t she just a few hours ago told him she doesn’t want to hear or know of the details of his work…then again he had put her in a place where knowing was the only option. Even though he debated that idea for a few moments it did not stop the smooth response from leaving his lips, “I’m not asking much. All I need is for you to deliver a girl to a room where she will stay for a little over a day. I’ll supply food and a bed. By the end the girl will probably be thankful that she had a break from her studies.”
Again every word was true, but he left out the connection with the Scarecrow and the true horror that man probably will face. It wasn’t a detail that Nina needed to know because it would not factor into her job at all. Job….more like favor. “If not I’m sure the girl could learn a lot from having a gun shoved down her throat…manners preferably,” he muttered out the last part remembering her snide remarks that seemed to rub him the wrong way.
He could capture Natalie, but why waste his extra material and his own sanity on handling such an annoying child. If Nina were willing he would take it. It also allowed him to test how far Nina would accept him. It was a riddle he had to determine to know the actual line that she created. By her slow and quite observant movement of the room he could already tell she was having some difficulties…but would she disregard her previous conclusions of him? Would she reject the line and walk out? He wasn’t sure, and he greatly hated not knowing something as simple as that.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 7, 2011 3:42:35 GMT -5
Really, if Nina had the same views on society and values as Edward, she wouldn't need him to get whatever she wanted. She has enough of her own intelligence in addition to her mastery over her power - and if she were a different person then that mastery wouldn't be so specifically confined to biochemistry. And actually, before she'd bumped into Edward, she'd managed to get exactly what she wanted out of life: a place to do her research in her way and get it out to people so that it can be used. And she'd gotten that without directly using her power. Of course, she's experienced a rather dramatic shift in both what she wants and what she has recently, but odds are good that she'll get herself right back where she wants to be again soon - once she figures out exactly what that means now.
The frown remains as Edward explains. And it's easy enough for her to tell that he's leaving something out - there's no reason to keep a girl in a room for a day unless there's some larger purpose to it, and it's not hard for her to guess that she would not be happy with whatever that is. But instead of focusing on that, she tries to focus on a more specific issue: is she willing to do what she's being asked? She knows first hand just how unpleasant it can be to be 'delivered' somewhere, and he's definitely right that she could make it less traumatizing.
However... "I can do that, but I'd need to explicitly know that she will be let go, unharmed, after that. Otherwise I won't have any part in it," she states. It's one thing to help ease a distressing situation that you know will end well, and another to be uncertain to any degree. Especially when it comes to using her gift - that's a very, very touchy issue for her.
But while it's a bit overwhelming to see the warehouse and be asked about something like this in quick succession, deep down Nina knows that she's tough enough to handle this. Despite the distance from the real world that the apartment had provided, she'd been very, very careful about the decisions she'd made there. It's just that she hadn't drawn the line at the limit of what she's completely comfortable with or what she doesn't find to be extremely difficult. If she'd done that, then she would not have been able to accept Edward - because there are most definitely parts of him she's not completely comfortable with, and she certainly wouldn't describe him as easy. No, she'd had to set that line at the absolute limit of what she's able to cope with, but she'd known exactly where it that limit was when she'd drawn that line.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2011 23:11:47 GMT -5
The playful smile on his face wavered into a frown. He should have known that would be her requirement. “I can’t promise that,” he told her because he honestly couldn’t. If there weren’t a threat towards the girl getting hurt there would be no reason for the Scarecrow to participate. He couldn’t present the Scarecrow with a riddle that when solved would say ‘Just wait a day and then Natalie will be let go.’ His plan would be ruined.
Now a normal person would realize the logical solution to this problem would be to not leave a riddle and omit that detail, but not leaving a riddle would be like…not breathing to Edward. He had to. He had to give the answer, and maybe one day when sanity happened to hit him he would be able to realize he had an actual OCD problem steaming from some childhood memory but that day would not be today.
“Her safety is dependent on her own choices, but if she were to somehow fail, Scarecrow and Batman could still save her from her unintelligence. I’m not going to include the GCPD because they lack a competent mind in their entire force, but I am not responsible for what happens to her. I offer a chance, and if they cannot come to the right conclusions the outcome is unavoidable. They're held accountable not me.” he stated with a serious look. The last time they had talked over this issue Nina had been in a chair with a gun pointed at her heart. She escaped because she was smart enough to do so. His riddles were meant to challenge, and he would not take away the challenge to calm her nerves.
He knew what this meant though….he would be handling Natalie. He controlled the eye roll at the thought, but it wouldn’t be a difficult process. The girl was weak and easily manipulated. A gun would be the only insurance he would need. It wouldn’t be like handling Nina who he needed an intensive plan just to capture her before the actual riddle.
He mulled over his thoughts finally focusing back on Nina, prepared to see that disappointing look. He noticed the frown and his eyes lingered a bit too long on her lips. Even when she was upset or having her mental battles, she fascinated him. He smirked and said to himself, “I guess that answer that riddle,” referring to how far Nina’s line would bend.
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 8, 2011 1:06:02 GMT -5
The frown on Nina's face increases marginally, but at the same time she's a bit relieved. If she does nothing to help then she won't have to worry about feeling guilty herself for doing anything. No, instead she just has to deal with some lingering worry about whatever will happen to the aforementioned girl. But then again, that's something that she's well able to cope with - it is, perhaps, a bit too easy to set aside worries about someone she's only vaguely heard about rather than actually met. And, more to the point, someone she's never used her power on.
She doesn't say anything to his explanation - they've already had that argument, and she sees no reason to repeat it. There's no way that he'd ever convince her to see it that way, and she doubts that she'd ever be able to change his mind, so talking it over again is useless. And the lingering frown on her face that indicates that she's still nowhere near agreeing with that line of logic is communication enough. In her own mind she'd survived her own riddle because, by his design, one of them was meant to live and she chose herself - but it was still his fault that she'd had to make that choice in the first place; his fault that he'd limited her options to the point that she'd had to make that terrible decision.
But she's not going to dwell on that: she's already come to grips with her feelings about it. And she finds herself simply taking a deep breath and allowing much of the tension she'd held onto since this conversation started ease off now that it's ended on something she can live with. But not quite all of it: a disturbing topic is a disturbing topic, and it will have to fade a bit further into the past before it will stop disturbing her.
As the tension eases, so does the frown, and she's mostly back to that familiar state of calm that she always returns to so easily. And it isn't until his last comment that she actually says anything. "I guess it does," she responds, pausing for a thoughtful moment before adding, "For what it's worth, I'm glad that we were able to talk about that. I really do feel the need to be that careful with my power." Nina's line does bend, but only because she recognizes that there are situations where she has to be flexible and never very far at all. And using her power to help Edward put someone in a situation where they could get hurt is certainly bending the line too far, at least in her mind.
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Registered On: May 20, 2024 0:14:27 GMT -5 ~
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2011 2:25:47 GMT -5
To say he’s slightly disappointed would be an understatement. He had hoped that she would be more open to the idea of working with him. Mostly because he wouldn’t have to sacrifice his work in order to see her. Instead he will constantly be bothered by that annoying worrying voice in the back of his head. It made him feel a bit out of control…especially on a thing that some of the rogues knew was becoming a weakness. He could keep her in his apartment, but eventually she would leave and be opened to any attack. He inwardly frowned at the idea, but once again he couldn’t find the solution.
To say he was surprised now that was an overstatement. While there were many things still unknown about Nina her values were made as clear as daylight in the afternoon sun. He had decided to try and see how far accepting him would go and to him it really wasn’t that far. She was still trapped by society’s laws created by the unintelligent. It would take time, but he would find away to open her eyes to the true riddles of the city. Why is mayor paid by the mob? Why does the government waste money on the incompetent instead of using it for economic growth? Why does a city rely on a Batman to bring in the only tourism industry? Why? Answer: the city was filled with selfish hypocrites stupidly dancing around like monkeys to impress the media. It was not worth his time, and eventually Nina would come to the same conclusions.
Her comment caused him to blink for a moment. It wasn’t because it was some valuable information….but because it appeared to be something a girlfriend says to their boyfriend in a relationship.
I’m glad we talked….
He felt old there. Really old….too old to be having a conversation dealing with any ‘I’m glad we had this talk nonsense.’ He had to remind himself that those comments probably related to any relationship….but in truth, it only reminded him of the few clinging girls he had encountered. Is it necessary to mention happiness over a conversation that would have occurred to matter the situation? It wasn’t like the act of communication between two human beings was an act of miracles. He immediately looked away from her as his free hand went up to rub the back of his head for a short moment. “Ah yes…me too,” he stated really not liking this. If he could accept the fact that Nina would not participate in his work, he dearly hoped she could accept the fact that those types of statement or any other intense relationship statements were off limits.
He got so distracted by her first sentence he almost missed her end point. He smirked feeling some of the awkwardness leave. He wondered if Nina knew how truly arrogant she was. It was one of the riddles he couldn’t solve about her. Did she really believe her power was something god like? The way she protected herself from using it told him she believed it to be more powerful then in the hands of a human. While he knew it a quite unique power, he also recognized it for its weakness. Like all power it could easily be destroyed, but in some ways he was certain Nina thought of herself as invincible.
“Limiting yourself only tricks your mind into mediocrity,” he states thinking of the few men he came across who wasted their potentials only to be absorb by the masses. In their own way, they too lacked intelligence because they sacrificed it.
“Anyways since I now have to add another business affair to my to do list, I must say my farewells for the rest of the evening. Robby will take you wherever you want. If you go to the more public places, please wear a hat and scarf of some sorts. I’ll see you late tonight, dear, when the two bodies both joined in one stand still in order to quickly run,” he said with a smile. He would have been a bit more affectionate, but he would not do such a thing in front of his men....yet he still reached out and brushed back her hair for a moment using the excuse again, “Yes, a hat should work fine. Good night.” He nodded and turned back around heading to his desk. He pulled out his gun from his waistband to inspect it. They would go tonight to Penguin and ask how long the delivery process would take. Once deliver was done he would pick up Natalie. His gun should be enough, but then again if he was going to waste his time on a girl he could make a bit entertaining to himself.
“Allen,” he said in a louder voice but not shouting, “Be ready to leave in seven.”
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Nina Stenet
"Great acts are made up of small deeds." - Lao Tzu
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Player: Avalikia ~
Registered On: Nov 4, 2010 0:01:40 GMT -5 ~
Posts: 696
~ Relationship Status: Single
~ Character Profile
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Post by Nina Stenet on Apr 8, 2011 4:10:51 GMT -5
Perhaps Edward wouldn't be so optimistic about his chances of changing Nina's views on society if he were aware of how open her eyes are to the many flaws of Gotham and the entire rest of the world, for that matter. But she sees the good with the bad, and sees the former as dominant. And has, in her own way, determined to use her own time and effort to reinforce that. Her values are not a matter of naivety but a matter of simply having come to a different conclusion about the nature of humanity than Edward. And that's not something so easy to change.
She hadn't expected that expressing that she was honestly glad to get the probably inevitable conversation about how much she's willing to do with her gift over with would come off so... awkwardly. And seeing the small hints of that is enough to give her a twinge of the same feeling - did she say something wrong? She certainly hadn't meant to! She's just used to being very transparent about her thoughts and feelings unless she had a very good reason not to be. Her hands shift around on the glass of water she's holding until the feeling passes - quickly, but still obvious for a few moments.
Whether Nina is arrogant or not about her gift is a subject of much debate. She does know that Edward has somehow failed to grasp the true potential she possesses, but then again he has a lot of things going against him. She'd only actually used it for a few little things in front of him, he wasn't an expert in her fields of research so he'd have a hard time understanding just how groundbreaking it was without it being explained (not to mention that her best work remain unpublished for other reasons), and perhaps most of all he probably hasn't been able to think about her gift for too long of a stretch at a time without thinking about her instead. Of course he doesn't understand how powerful she is! Not that she's unaware that she's also very vulnerable to a great many things - she's merely a lot less vulnerable than she'd otherwise be. She's not Superman, but then again she can do miracles.
His comment causes a small, scoffing exhale. "If you think my mind is trapped in mediocrity, you don't know me very well," she says simply. If only he knew what she does at work, and what it's like to use her gift... Well, there's probably time to talk about that later. And none now, to judge by what he says next. And it's probably just as well that he hesitates to show much affection now - her current mood is nothing like the one she'd had in the apartment. Then again, she can't help but allow the shadow of a smile cross her face when he touches her hair - a small hint, at least, that the mood will pass. For better or for worse, she'll be able to become more comfortable with the entire situation that she's found herself in, even if that's unlikely to change her core opinion on anything.
"Good night," she echos back, finding herself to actually be a bit relieved to hear that she'll have some time away from him now. As much as she overall enjoys being around him, it's greatly diminished at the moment but still rather distracting. And she'd probably find it easier to come to grips with all the feelings being thrown around her head right now without him around. When Edward goes back over to his desk, Nina looks around until she spots Robby and says, "If you'd still like to give me a tour, I'd like that."
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