Future Intentions [Open]

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

It had been only a couple of months since the doors to Arkham city were sealed and prisoners moved in and Oswald had been uncharacteristically quiet. There were rumours a plenty but they ranged from people who said they'd heard he was still at the Iceberg Lounge on the inside to those that swore they'd seen him out still living the high life, there were even a few that claimed he'd abandoned Gotham altogether and set up in another country. Lots of theories, very little proof of any of them. It was almost like Oswald didn't want people to know what he was doing so he was ensuring there were enough ideas to go around.

~~~~~~~~~

In the heart of West Gotham in the business sector two weeks ago the Frederick building, a sky scraper office block among many, had suddenly found an opening on it's top four floors after the current tenants out of the blue announced they were moving to a new office on the other side of the country and paid the extra fees to cancel their lease early without hesitation. The property management for the building almost had time to be confused and slightly concerned by their apparent haste to be gone until the very same day an offer came in by another company to rent the space immediately. It puzzled a few of them that they had the offer before they had even advertised the office as available but their checks came back clean and though they expressed their concern a few phone calls later their manager gave the go ahead, advising them not to be so paranoid and ask so many questions before he returned to his office to check how much of his sudden windfall he'd have left if he bought a boat.

So the admin side of the Iceberg Lounge staff found their new home and within just a couple of weeks the Penguin had his new office on the top floor with an excellent view of Gotham and a direct line of sight, between a few of the other tall buildings, to the walls of Arkham City. All that was left to do was let the rest of the world find out their part in the plan.

There was an invitation to a press conference sent out, moving to a new office wasn't news worthy but there was the promise that upcoming plans would be announced and with the name Cobblepot attached to it there was some natural interest and then there was also some who were paid to be there, employed as they were by news agencies in Gotham that Oswald had made deals with years ago.

There was some question of whether the Penguin would make an appearance himself or whether there would be a representative right up until Oswald walked out of the building, greeting the small gathering with a raised hand as he step forward "Ladies and gentlemen, how glad I am to see you all here, thank you for coming. There are many changes to be discussed"

[Oswald Cobblepot - The Penguin]

Oswald had chosen his setting intentionally to draw what attention he could. Yes he'd invited the press but he stood outside his office base, taking over the small courtyard space in front of the building which got a bit of foot traffic and had some people peacefully busy eating their lunch.

Oswald needed the attention. Most would hear of it from the newspapers but he needed to be seen after spending so much time lurking in the shadows. He couldn't run this campaign from the mansion "Our city has been changed after all, despite many of our wishes. This is not just a confirmation of the Cobblepot family's loyalty to Gotham and my continuing business here it is also a promise for the future" Oswald pointed behind the little crowd of journalists to where the walls of Arkham could just be seen in the distance between the buildings "This has gone far enough. Gotham used to be a shining jewel in this state. There was thriving industry and a prosperous port, suburbs where we knew our families would be safe. Now?" Oswald spread his arms wide "Now we're known for housing the largest prison in the country. This eyesore has ripped our city in two. Half our ports are behind these giant walls, paid for by out taxes. Businesses, homes, all forced out by the city hall with little to no compensation all because our police force failed to do their jobs and our mayor thought this would be the solution. This is no solution! Property values have plummeted and soon we will have every city in the state asking us to house their criminals. Behind that wall is a lawless, hopeless mob mixed in with the worst of the criminally insane we have ever had. We have turned our backs to them, turned a blind eye to what is happening in there and this will only end badly. Years of ineptitude have brought us to where we are now and I intend to fix it. This is the announcement of my intention to run for mayor"

The flash of the cameras, the prattling pathetic questions of the press. He could practically read the articles. Every crime he'd committed, every time he's been to jail. His height, his looks, every little thing was going to be dragged through the papers and he'd have to listen to it all over again on an endless loop. This was a popularity contest, that was something he was not good at. He'd tried this sort of thing before, when he was young he'd run for school president following the insistence of his mother. He'd lied to her and said he'd won of course, it was months before one of her friends slipped out the truth and years before Oswald heard the end of it. He didn't enjoy popularity contests but he intended to do much better this time. This time he intended to cheat.