capeandcowllogs | the lower I get the higher I'll climb

Entry tags:

the lower I get the higher I'll climb

WHO: TWO-FACE, POISON IVY, PENGUIN
WHERE: The Iceberg Lounge
WHEN: 12/20?
WARNINGS: Probably not but...
SUMMARY: Harvey sets up a nice business lunch with his newly hired muscle and an old friend to talk shop. This will go well.
FORMAT: Whatevah.

Things had been going well -- overwhelmingly, in Two-Face's opinion, since he was now holding onto quite a lot of money from his gang investments and hadn't run into any slip-ups or trouble since getting back -- but time was ticking, and he had to keep moving if he wanted to avoid any further close-calls like he'd run into with Danger or the Wayne kid. He had Ivy in his corner -- for now, he had no delusions this would be a long investment -- and he wanted one more person before the holidays progressed.

The holidays were always messy.

He told Ivy to meet him at the Iceberg Lounge; Two-Face figured she'd be good to have around in case negotiations with Cobblepot got -- well -- frozen. It should have been, in his opinion, a gesture of good faith enough that Harvey wasn't bringing his usual henches along.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Playing henchgirl for a bipolar madman had not been very high on her list of ways to spend the holidays, but tickets to Costa Rica were rather out of her price range, and she had never known Two-Face to forget about a debt. At the very least she was back to her normal, green self; two weeks as a human had been a very emotionally taxing experience, and not one she wanted to go through again. Hearing her children again even made her look not as hateful as usual as she neared the Iceberg Lounge. The plants on her body thrived and bloomed once again, even in the winter chill. It felt good to be back.

She sighed, oxygen turning to white clouds in front of her face. She hoped it would stay that way.]

[ The nightclub itself was it's usual level of class and sophistication. Music that drowned out a conversation if you were more than a few steps from a table, yet soft enough that one didn't have to yell. Soft, swing jazz from the pit of a live band, the waitresses all looking as impeccable as usual, taking hats, coats, drink orders, what have you.

Most had to wait in the foyer to be seated, of course. The Lounge was in prime demand, the native population always willing to sacrifice a brush with overpriced drinks for the thrill of stepping into a bar that frequented imports, as long as they were safe and contained. The way to keep them contained, of course, was to provide standing orders to usher in the imports the proprietor knew to be dangerous, or quick to anger.

Or the ones he actually liked, but they were few and far between, and the pair who were allowed in tonight weren't the ones Oswald liked. Oh, Ivy was a dear to look at, but like a flower with thorns, the message was always clear: look but don't touch.

And she came with Harvey. Ah yes, Mr. Dent.

The proprietor, in all of his squat glory stepped down the steps from his private booth, monocle affixed properly, curls of smoke (anti-smoking ordinances be damned) drifting up into the rafters while he spread his hands wide. ] Harvey, Ivy, how nice of you two to visit.

Edited (Formatting fail ugh) 2012-12-21 05:55 (UTC)

[ A sneer split Harvey's face -- well, to be fair, it was always like that -- when Cobblepot greeted them, and he made sure to stay in close step with Poison Ivy; Harvey kept back a bit so she would be the more eye-catching party between them. ]

Cobblepot. It's been a while.

[ He cocked a thumb toward Ivy. ]

She's with me, so don't try any funny stuff. We need to talk. Face to face. [ He pauses, wrinkling his nose. ] In private. You've still got a room reserved for me, right?

[She already had a feeling that this was going to be an astounding waste of her time. She considered mentally zoning out and working on a plan to liberate a few Christmas tree farms over the weekend, but she also had a feeling that the chance of "funny stuff" happening was pretty high, so she needed to be on her guard. The last thing she needed was for Dent to get arrested or die-- not because she cared, because she definitely didn't, but because he would never let her live in down.

Besides, if she stuck around and something did happen, she might get to break Cobblepot's degenerate face. That would be fun. The thought made her smile but, like most of her smiles, one wouldn't mistake it for pleasant.]

[ Oswald smiled, tight. Of course, he hadn't held onto the booth. Not when there was money being wasted for it, and Harvey had never even used it. It froze for only a moment, and he did a small mental calculation, before he thanked...well, his rather fortunate situation, which was that there was a private booth open for the night. ]

It would be my pleasure, Harvey, Ivy, give me just a moment, let me make sure it's up to snuff, hm? Feel free to get a drink, if you want.

[ He didn't say they were on the house, and the wouldn't be, of course. Not that he would push for payment, if Harvey didn't pay. He'd toe the line, but he wouldn't go out of his way to piss him off, either.

Although, he did step away only to pull aside an attendant, large fingers digging into her arm to pull her down to his level, whispering low and quick in her ear. Private booth. Now. If there aren't any available, kick the group buying the cheapest drinks out of it, and give them a redeemable coupon for later. They'd take the long way to the booth.

After a few moments, he stepped back over to the two, smiling pleasantly, not showing the tense cut to his jaw that he'd just shown to his attendants. ]

My apologies. Shall we?

[ As he waits Harvey does lean on the bar, squinting at the workers, before he gets two double-shots of scotch and passes one idly to Ivy. He has no intention of paying for them, so uh. Y e p. He smirks at Ivy almost conversationally, shaking his head in contempt as they wait-- ]

Classy place, isn't it? Can't ask for a better spot to make a business deal.

[ --He downs his drink and smashes the glass on the floor when Cobblepot heads back. ]

Took you long enough. Don't tell me you got lost.

I could think of a few better ones. [But people always get antsy about going into the woods with her for some reason. She doesn't drink alcohol-- or much of anything, for that matter-- but she holds the glass in her hand because it gives her something to do, and perhaps she'll get an opportunity to throw it into someone's face--

-- and then she nearly spills it all over herself when Harvey, for some idiotic reason, throws the glass onto the floor. To say she looks livid would be a vast understatement.]

[ He jumped, watching him smash the glass with a sickening contempt, before he regarded Harvey with a smile that was all too patronizing, placating Harvey and letting him do what he wished. He wasn't about to chance it, not with both Harvey and Ivy in his bar. ]

Of course not, Harvey. The job of the proprietor is never done, you see. There are some things that must be attended to, unless we want to be bothered mid discussion, hm?

[ He stepped back gesturing to lead them the way to the now thankfully empty booth, when they finally arrived, he gestured for them to take a seat first. Everything about him was selling the magnanimous owner, even if he wished to be anything but right now. While they walked, he addressed Ivy herself. ]

Come now, Ivy, have you enjoyed yourself here yet? You may find some of our attractions to your liking.

Two-Face, Cobblepot. Two-Face. You're getting a little overly familiar.

[ Harvey kept smirking, though, walking rather arrogantly into the booth and taking a seat. He gave the area a suspicious look over before he settled in, slipping a hand into his jacket pocket to wrap around his coin. Just to be ready. He turns to Ivy as well, purposefully ignoring Ozzie for the moment. ]

He puts a toe out of line, I don't care what you do. Just don't cause a scene.

[ One to talk. ]

Have you been keeping up, Oz? I don't need you catch you up on how things have been going or anything, do I?

Stuck in an urban wasteland in the dead of winter. What's not to like? [She sits with her legs crossed at the knee, arms crossed over her chest. At Two-Face's little request, she rolls her eyes, but just barely. Cause a scene? Like she ever...

Well, she wouldn't cause as much of a scene as he would.] Oh, I'll try.

Of course not!

[ He settled in on the opposite side from the two with a flustered dissatisfaction. He was not happy with even the suggested implication that he would not be able to keep up. ]

And what does this have to do with me, hm?

Can't you guess?

[ Harvey squinted his eye slightly, leaning slightly on the table with his elbow. ]

Don't you think now that I'm out some kind of deal might be in order? To keep things nice and clean?

[It wasn't like Harvey had told her overly much about the actual reason for the meeting. And, well, as a Gothamite, she was almost morally obligated to know as much about her fellows' business as possible. She just hoped they wouldn't start talking in code; she hated that kind of thing.

She leans back, seemingly fascinated with her own fingernails.]

[ Ozzie did swallow at that, mouth working the cigarette holder back and forth before he calmed it and inhaled, blowing a wide stretch of smoke into the ceiling.

Of course Harvey would want something. Of course he would bring Ivy along. He wasn't stupid, and with Ivy staring him down, he wasn't stupid either.

Well played. He had to hand it to him, although how he managed to get her under his thumb, he'd like to know. She was even behaving, despite being in a place where normally she would either turn in disgust or destroy. ]

Of course, and I think such a deal could be worked out. You know how I like to keep things clean. [ He paused.]

Do either of you want fresh drinks? No need to do this without something to toast this off with, hm?

Kind of you to offer. On you, I presume? [ He smirked -- the good side did -- before he nodded, tapping his fingers on the table twice. ] I'll take another double. And then whatever she wants.

[ And, smugly, he sat back. He liked the tension, and the wariness. The fear. He worked best under these conditions. ]

Of course, this deal's between you and me. Just to be clear. If you want to make nice with Ivy, that'll probably run you a much different price.

I'm not for sale. [And she just waved off the offer of a drink-- honestly, the last thing this group needed was additional projectiles.]

Of course not, my dear. I thought nothing of the sort.

[ He speaks to Ivy first. Truth be told, he didn't want Ivy. Formidable though she was, he hardly didn't want to mess with that box of matches. One was enough. He waves over a waitress either way, and whispers the order, making sure he had something particularly strong for himself. For Two-face, he made sure she knew to go for the special barrel. The Wakefield barrels, as he was calling them. It tasted like the real stuff, spicy and mellow, but thankfully, it came at a much cheaper rate.

Thanks to import ingenuity, after all. ]

Would you like to wait, or shall we get down to business?

No waiting.

[ Harvey drinks deeply, setting the half-empty glass back down when he's done. He pulls his coin out and flips, letting it fall onto the table before he puts his hand over it and checks: bad heads-side up. ]

You start. Tell me a little bit about your operation here first. What we're working with.

[ Well, that was that. He watched the coin, but couldn't catch sight of the result, unfortunately. He didn't like being in his own center of power and feeling powerless, but there was little to do but acquiesce for now, until he could find a better perch to roost in. ]

Monetarily? Quite a bit, of course. My operation here in the lounge offers quite a bit in terms of revenue, and in terms of other avenues.

[ The first time he'd acknowledged his workings beyond simply the lounge. He very rarely wanted to, in case there were eyes and ears attempting to figure out if there was something to go off of. ]

I think you can assume much of it. The usual, of course. You would be surprised at how poor the native network is.

[ The rest of the drink disappeared and Harvey shoved the glass aside. ]

Poor and easily exploited. You got to know where to look.

And I want to make sure your people know to leave my people alone. And me, for that matter. In case anyone ever comes calling around here looking for me.

Don't worry about that.

[ He said it oh too pleasantly, but inside, he was roiling, furious at the implication that he wanted anything to do with Two-Face. Of course, if someone came around looking for Harvey, he'd give him up in a heart beat, if he knew they would take care of him.

But only then. He wasn't stupid, after all. ]

The native webs were those things, by the way, but I found that they had a little potential, tucked away. Why ruin what's already there when you can just improve it, hm? Most of them like making more money.

Money talks.

[ Harvey pulls some out of his coat; it's unclear how much exactly, but it's two fat rolls of twenty dollar bills. He doesn't hand it over yet. ]

So do people, though. That's the problem.

[ Because he don't trust Ozzie, nope. ]

But there has to be some way to keep little birdies quiet, right? You're the expert.

I'm sure there's some way, but most birds require constant attention to keep from making a clatter, you know. Simply covering the cage with whatever you have available and a few treats will only satisfy them for so long.

[ His grin, just a bit too sharp knew what game Harvey was playing at, and he could respect it, at least a fair amount. He doesn't trust him any more than he could throw them, but he suspected that went the other way as well.

Most Gothamites wouldn't trust Ozzie, anyway, considering his reputation as an informant, although more often than not he wasn't going to sell out to certain entities unless he had to. Or what he considered that he had to. He really did dislike it when they tried to beat it out of him, really. ]

It depends on the breed of bird you're trying to silence, though. Some of the rarer types need more attention than others.

Or they just need a good muzzling.

[ One roll of money disappears back into Harvey's jacket, for the time being. ]

So.

What'll it be, Cobblepot?

[ He watched the one roll go back into his jacket, and he wasn't so disappointed at the loss of money than he was at the fact that Harvey thought he could take it away and get what he wanted. ]

Birds can be kept from singing, Two-Face. But an arrangement like this requires a bit more than just a quick injection of money. You realize I make more than that in an hour yes?

I'm sure there's something you have up your sleeve.

[ He raises an eyebrow, but smirks at Cobblepot's suggestion and gestures outwardly, flippantly, with his right hand. ]

I have a lot up my sleeve, Cobblepot. Name a price and I'll make you an offer.

[ "Price" not necessarily meaning money, of course. ]

[ Now they were getting down to business. His lips split slightly into a small smile, and he reached out to pull the cigarette from his holder, stamping it out into the ashtray that came along side the drinks the waitress left on the table, before dashing away knowing that she shouldn't be sticking around.

All of the waitresses were well trained in the lounge, but then again, they knew there were bonuses for loyalty and conducting themselves professionally. ]

Perhaps something that will advantage me. Do you have men?

I have two gangs worth of men.

[ Harvey's eyebrow raises, and he leans back in his seat again, tapping fingers on the table. ]

What would you want them for?

Operations, of course. What else? You never know who's going to be lurking nearby, and security is very expensive.

[ He attached a new cigarette to his holder, before lighting it. ]

What's wrong with the men you have now?

[ Harvey leans on the table a little warily. ]

I'm not giving you anyone for keeps, Cobblepot. Let's get that clear. You can have your extra security so long as you know it's there on a loan.

I should hardly want them for keeps.

[ Honestly, he didn't need them, but he also wasn't going to take a wad of worthless (and small amounts of petty cash) in exchange for his silence. At least this way he got labor out of it. Labor he didn't pay for.

It seemed like a fairer trade than and of the other prospects.

He knew if he played too coy, he'd find himself bruised and still giving in. ]

Don't worry, Two-Face, I'm not trying to con you, honest.

[ Coming from Ozzie, it probably rang hollow ]

[ Yes, it totally rings hollow, but whatever -- this isn't an agreement that they need to sign on in blood, it's for both of their convenience. Two-Face doesn't necessarily expect it to last longer than when it ceases being convenient... or in his case, whenever the coin tells him differently.

He flipped his coin anyway. ]

All right. I think we can agree on that. In exchange, you don't know a thing about where I am or what I'm doing.

Of course, I think a little ignorance can be arranged. There's no need to go out of my way, after all. Who knows if it would even be worth my while?

[ It was his roundabout way of saying he'd comply, for the time being. The nice thing, at least, about making deals like this with someone else from Gotham was that they understood how things went. It was so rarely personal. ]

I can tell you that double-crossing me is never worth your while, Ozzie. So you're making the right choice here.

[ Harvey sneered, re-pocketing his coin. ]

Sounds agreeable, then.

Excellent, that's what I was hoping you would say.

[ He paused, taking down a pull of his drink around a mouthful of heavy smoke even as he drew first in the smoke, before swallowing down the liquor. ]

And is that all? [ That was actually a hell of a deal. ]

For now.

[ He rolls his shoulders, still sneering. ]

See? I knew we could come to an agreement.

Oh yes, and it's always a pleasure doing business with you, Two-Face. [ He holds up his glass, not quite in a toast, but in acknowledgement of their deal. ]

Hopefully, it'll work out well for the both of us.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

the lower I get the higher I'll climb

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject