Shining by night, eons away.

[enigmaestro.livejournal.com]

WHO: Edward Nygma and Victoria Hand.
WHERE: Spilled Beans; coffee shop on Fifth and 43rd.
WHEN: Hours after Victoria was ported in.
WARNINGS: Just some sneaks drinking coffee.
SUMMARY: So Eddie understands that Norman’s right-hand woman is in town. That opens for opportunity.
FORMAT: Quickparasomething.


Oh, Edward was intrigued. That went without saying, of course, but he hadn’t felt this heated surge of curiosity and ambition for… For quite some time. Since before that nasty sin business, at any rate. And really now, an opportunity like this? Well, someone of Ms. Hand’s stature wasn’t ported in just any old day. A cruel smile carved itself into his lips and he directed the cab driver to the location that Victoria had given him.

Make no mistake: he wasn’t cavalier about the matter. Not at all. If Osborn held Hand in such esteem as he appeared to—something Eddie had divined from Norman’s initial reaction to her appearance and Hand’s own testimony—then she was not a mind to be underestimated. More than that, really; he needed to play on his best behavior for her. Edward had a feeling that his usual tricks of underestimation wouldn’t cut the cards in this case. He assumed Hand was better than the rest. Sharper. Keener. A worthy opponent.

And he was eager to engage in battle.

Comments

[victoriaous.livejournal.com]

It didn't take long for Victoria to find a rather nice hotel to stay in for the night, she could move to OsCorp later, as she was most likely expected to, yet she wasn't quite ready to deal with the Avengers just yet. They almost were more of a handful than Norman. She could deal with all of that later, but not right now after she'd spent so much time correcting her brash outburst against Stark. How was she to know that not only did Tony not "remember" the Skrull Invasion, but that people were actually still on his side, that not everyone knew the invasion or that HAMMER was in control now.

After she'd cleaned up a little, she spent the time going through the communicator, finding out its capabilities, and programming it to various specifications. It was a different technology from her PDA, but it had many of the same functions, probably more, so getting rid of it wouldn't have been wise. She did make a note that if she wasn't careful, everyone could hear her, though.

Which led to this meeting with Edward Nygma. Despite all of his flattery, Hand knew what the topic would be for the evening, and she honestly wasn't surprised. Edward wanted information on Norman, was her best guess, and depending on how things went this evening and what kind of relationship that he had with Norman, she might be willing to sate some of his curiosity, assuming that it was beneficial to her.

She was used to these situations by now, Norman Osborn pretty much becoming the main focus in her life, and her meetings and conferences were always in regards to his actions, motives, and possible secrets. If people thought that she was going to be his weak link, they would find themselves very mistaken and regretting it.

However, there was no reason that she couldn't have a pleasant time this evening. She waited outside at the location that she'd given Edward. She was dressed professionally, in what she'd arrived in, but it suited her. After all, even her personal life was wrapped up in her career.

This was just another business opportunity for her to look into.

[enigmaestro.livejournal.com]

Well, now. Wasn't she a stunner? Edward had to give Osborn credit; the man sure did have aesthetic taste in certain aspects of humanity. Namely, women. If only that quality of taste extended into other avenues. Edward mused on this insightful snippet as he observed Victoria Hand waiting for their sixty-cents-a-minute chariot pull up. He stepped out of the cab with a naturally smug grace, before flourishing an arm in Ms. Hand's direction. Why not make a bit of a show about it? If he was lucky, it would induce her to assume things. The sort of things that most people did when underestimating Edward Nygma.

And perhaps he craved the extra edge. He had succumbed to vanity, opting for a subtle, mellowed green suit rather than his trademarked brand. Part of the exercise was practical: Eddie's normal wear was far too recognizable. Throw a question mark on fabric and the image rendered his name; it was almost too easy. But that sort of image manipulation was another matter entirely.

His immediate concern was Victoria Hand.

"My dear Victoria," said Edward, smoothly annunciating her name as if pronouncing the genus of a desirable flower. "What a pleasure. Hope you don't mind if we take a cab?" He inquired, holding the door open for her.

[victoriaous.livejournal.com]

It didn't take long before the cab pulled up and the man stepped out to greet her. In something that was uncharacteristic of her, the first thing that Victoria noticed was green suit. It looked nice, but it reminded her of Norman a little too much. She couldn't help but wonder it perhaps this was some sign that Mr. Nygma was just as eccentric as Norman, or possibly more. It didn't matter either way, really. She spent all her time around criminals in costumes, and after dealing with Osborn, there wasn't anybody that she probably couldn't handle.

Though, it might have been nice for once to associate with someone who couldn't fly through walls, spin webs, or believed themselves to be gods. That was probably too much to ask for, but at least now she could get some information on this City, and the kind of company that Norman has been keeping in this place. Besides, as far as her usual company, Edward was definitely a step up.

She just needed to find out what he was after.

"Not at all," She nodded her head appreciatively to him as she stepped into the cab.

"I must admit, it's rare to find such a gentleman these days." She said casually, looking out the corner of her eye to him.

[enigmaestro.livejournal.com]

His gaze flickered over her, his head tilted upwards but an inch. Now wasn't this a novelty? Careful, calculating, composed, oh she was good; not many knew how to play their cards right with an oppressive egotist. That meant one of three things: either Ms. Hand had dealt with numerous self-important figures in her day or she was innately cunning. Or--perhaps more likely--the answer was a little of both. Experience and talent was a very deadly mixture.

But Edward was a very cocky man. He allowed the flattery to wash over him, to drown his natural paranoia in a sea of arrogance. He accepted the compliment with a smirk and followed Victoria into the cab. There was a couple of reasons for Edward to take interest in Victoria and--honestly--he was examining all of them. From all angles. Surreptitiously.

After directing the driver, the detective turned his full attention onto his company.

"Is that so? More's the pity then. Hard to believe only a few men would eagerly adopt a gentlemanly touch, if only to please a woman like you," he said, smirking still. "But I suppose there are quite a few differences between Gotham and your world. How is that, by the way? Conflicting? Or are you one of the types who has had experience with multiple parallels of a dimension?"

[victoriaous.livejournal.com]

Victoria dealt with people like Norman, Karla, the Avengers, and before that, Tony Stark, for so long, that dealing with egotists had practically become second nature to her. In fact, she made her living making sure that people like them were happy, and controlled. One could go so far as to say that she knew exactly how to manipulate people like Norman. Of course, she had no reason to do that right now, and the risks were high should she fail. She could get her way and still stay under her boss. In fact, she was safer that way.

Besides, she knew how they worked. Every egotist would fall on their own swords. Overconfidence and a feeling of security was all that they needed.

She mentally made a note to dig up whatever she could about Edward Nygma. If anything, he was definitely more thoughtful than most other people she had dealt with. He was at least intelligent, that much was obvious. That could make him either very valuable... Or very dangerous.

"I've heard reports about things like this, but it's my first time experiencing it firsthand. It's... Frustrating, that things are different, but it won't change things too much."

She offered him a slight smile, turning to look at him. "And what about you? Is this kind of thing an average day for you?"

[enigmaestro.livejournal.com]

Well that earned a slight quirk of his lips. He enjoyed her manner of speech: collected and cool. Edward wasn't keen on placing a finger on the notion right at that moment, but there was something he liked about this woman.

"Suffice to say, I haven't had any personal experience with being transplanted to a parallel universe--current instance excluded, of course--but why should I? The denizens of such places tend to come to me. It's rather an irritating type of plague, truth be told. Nothing like having a doppelganger running around, framing you for intolerable acts." He shrugged in a nonchalant manner, rather keen on avoiding any detail. After all, Edward had escaped that potentially flammable event without so much as a scratch; it was simply disturbing to contemplate living in the same world with a man who boasted the same capabilities as he did. Very disturbing.

"But really, you'll adapt quickly to the environment," a pause followed as he raced his eyes over her form once more. "Perhaps quicker than most would, in fact." He leaned back into the worn pleather, crossing a greenly-clad leg. For a moment Edward didn't speak at all, he simply engaged with watching the scenery past. The people outside, milling about. Innocent. Ignorant. People.

"Here we are," he said as he leaned forward again.

[victoriaous.livejournal.com]

As far as being teleported to alternate realities went, this certainly wasn't the worst choice, she supposed. Sure, there was no H.A.M.M.E.R. to maintain or stand behind, but from the sound of things, Norman had things well under control, even if he was still trying to make heroes out of villains.

"A city full of superpowered humans that run around in costumes?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Somehow, I think I can manage that without too many problems."

Victoria found herself laughing a little, maybe even relaxing a little. Not that she would ever drop her guard completely around anybody, but she was at least enjoying herself for the most part now. She might even say that she liked Edward, at least enough to talk like this.

It had been too long since she had last been able to separate herself from her work. Norman had told her that working for him would be a full-time job, twenty-four hours a day, every day, and he'd definitely meant it. She had be responsible for Osborn, and when he hadn't slept since becoming director of H.A.M.M.E.R., she didn't get much time off.

So, at the very least, she should give Mr. Nygma credit for pulling her away from the office, even if the porter had given him a head start.

Stepping out of the cab, she looked over to him. "So you're used to all this madness too. The capes and costumes, and whatnot?"

SORRY FOR THE LATENESS, BABE sorry sorry sorry

[enigmaestro.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't dare underestimate a women of your regard," mused Edward in a low, somewhat engaging tone. And he meant it, too. He idly wondered if she would take such a statement with more than a grain of salt; after all, part of his innumerable techniques concerning manipulation often involved informing people of truth. Fact typically blindsides the most adamant of revolutionaries and stalwart citizens. But their was the obvious risk that Ms. Hand fell into neither category... And yet, Edward wasn't overly concerned about pinpointing Hand's entire personality just yet. After all, he was in the company of a particularly attractive, sharp woman. Business aside, it wouldn't be unheard or to simply enjoy the time ahead of him.

He could deal with the duality of the situation. He was Edward Nygma. He was a Gothamite, for crying out loud.

"Mm? Oh yes, this type of madness is really rather my forte," said Edward as he slyly offered an arm to escort Victoria into the coffee shop. A bit pretentious of a move, to be sure, but not an insincere one. "Just the society I grew into, I suppose. No doubt you'll hear all sorts of interesting things in the days to come."

Not necessarily something he was dredging. It was more a matter of controlling the spin of information here.