capeandcowllogs | Shining by night, eons away.

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.

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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?"

Edited 2009-08-30 04:02 (UTC)

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?"

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.

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?"

"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.

Shining by night, eons away.

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SORRY FOR THE LATENESS, BABE sorry sorry sorry