i got no lyrics

[boobwindow]

WHO: EDWARD NYGMA and POWER GIRL
WHERE: Maurtia Falls.
WHEN: Evening of 10/13.
WHAT: A long overdue chat.
WARNINGS: TBA.

---

[ Peej was almost certain Eddie spent most of his time in De Chima just like her, but after half a day passed with no sign of him she decided to expand her search. If he isn't in De Chima, there's only a handful of Porter cities he could be in. It might be luck that she chooses Maurtia Falls to scour through first, although with its reputation she wouldn't be completely shocked to run into the Gothamite there. He's reformed, but given Scarecrow and then Two-Face recently? Who knows what he's up to. She needs to err on the side of caution.

But if Eddie knows anything or if he can help, she could be playing a dangerous game.

As she sifts through the sky above, she spots her target from several blocks away just outside what used to be the Iceberg Lounge. (Is it still the Lounge? She has no idea.) Speeding up, she's inches away from Eddie in a matter of seconds, her hands slipping under his arms and hoisting him up into the air as if he weighs next to nothing. ]

Hi.

Comments

[boobwindow]

I'm sure you're aware she went to prison a while back for crimes committed as the Hobgoblin.

[ She unlocks her arms, hands resting on her hips instead. Her posture remains tight and straight, rarely breaking eye contact from Eddie as she speaks. ]

But that wasn't her: Osborn brainwashed her somehow. She had no control over her actions.

[ That isn't the end of it, of course, but she leaves it off there for Eddie to process and to see whether or not he knows anything about it, or is at least familiar with any of Osborn's tactics. ]

[enigmaestro]

Somehow. [He struck at that word, like lightning hitting its predicted rod.] Do you have proof of that allegation? Or are you simply interested in what a little scapegoating might bring?

[Eddie shrugged, turning away from Power Girl -- not to exit, of course, he knew that she controlled the space and the timing of their conversation. But he, at least, could bridle the pacing. In a literal reflecting, he began to pace around her, his thumb resting at his chin.]

I do not disbelieve you, let me make that clear. But if you were doubtful of my perspective, then you surely would have left this discussion two minutes ago. However, there is a world of difference between convincing me of Osborn's sins and convincing the proper authorities.

[boobwindow]

[ Patience isn't always her strong suite; she can feel what little of it that's left whittling away as Eddie paces around her. She watches him with narrowed eyes, her back and arms still stiff.

Her lips curl this time into a disappointed snarl. ]

... no. The problem is I haven't found a shred of evidence to tie him to anything.

[ A beat. ]

So what's your damage with Osborn?

[enigmaestro]

You could have asked me the same question about Batman.

[And to Eddie's perspective, that answered her cleanly; Norman Osborn was his intellectual rival. There was a mutual obsession between them, a dark and nuanced saga, and Eddie could see the end nearing them in whispers. He could accept the broken triumph to come, and he would gladly claim it if Osborn himself was much too hubristic to grasp at their closure.

Eddie would love to set the defined terms.]

So you require evidence, is what you're saying. You need something pointed and physical and irrefutable. [A beat followed. I could perhaps help you, Power Girl.

But terms and conditions apply.

[boobwindow]

[ Her eyes slim and lips purse with a sharp wariness. She does not like where this is possibly headed, but even she can't deny her heart skipped the tiniest beat hearing Eddie imply he may have or be able to point her to something.

The question she has to ask herself and figure an answer out quickly is how far she's willing to go to take down Osborn. There are some lines she will never cross. ]

You have something?

[ Better than what she was hoping for, but she's visibly on guard. ]

Name your conditions.

[enigmaestro]

I want to be part of this. [Eddie had stopped moving, having pulled his stance right before her. His hands were on his hips, and his mouth was a lined frown.] I want to be involved in taking him out.

[There was a certain intensity in his words, a certain fire that hit his eyes. Gone were the sneers and the smirks, vanished were the light vowels in his teasing tone.]

I have a video of him. Footage. Proof that Norman Osborn never retired that gobliny mask of his. But let's be quite clear -- what I've got was never legally obtained. Is that going to be a problem for you?

[boobwindow]

[ Peej had not been expecting that response from Eddie, or any kind of willingness to participate in Osborn's take down directly. His answer stuns her for a moment or two, the crease on her forehead relaxing slightly while she quirks an eyebrow.

She takes her time with her own response, still toeing around this cautiously. While she's worked with the morally gray, criminals and even reformed (temporarily) ones before, Gothamites are a whole new ballgame. Sadly, she doesn't have Batman to turn to and ask his advice on how to proceed with Edward Nygma. ]

I want to see it. [ It's not an answer to his question; she's biding her time, still debating. She knows she doesn't have long. ] ... it won't hold up in a court, you know.

[enigmaestro]

I know.

[A response that suited both her statements. But despite her powerful intent, he didn't make any move to offer up the tape -- it wasn't on his current person, of course. It wasn't even in his housing unit. Eddie Nygma had long ago set up a security safe, knowing well how Norman preferred to ruin everything. But despite Power Girl's request, despite the immediate answer it implicitly deserved, Eddie held his unusual silence for a few moments. He was thinking upon his negotiation.]

This is more for you. This is more for you to know what you're about to get into, Power Girl. Because Norman Osborn has never been a man worthy of underestimation.

[boobwindow]

[ It doesn't feel like she has much of a choice in the matter, with the way things have gone (or haven't).

Her fists clench and she inhales deeply, letting out a sharp exhale. ]

I want him to answer for what he's done. [ While she tries to abide by most laws, there are times where some of them need to be crossed for the greater good. A tape obtained by illegal methods isn't something she would feel proud of, but it's not the worst thing she's done. ] I'm well aware of what I'm getting into.

[enigmaestro]

So what's your plan? Because as you surely know, I am meticulous when it comes to things like this.

[Things like this. Revenge. But Eddie wasn't one to be so forward with his motivations -- that wasn't merely some lingering tendency from his more criminal days, by rather something deeply ingrained in Eddie's baseline personality. He had always been somewhat circuitous.]

And more importantly, I want us to succeed. That means succeeding in unison, then so be it -- as long as Norman loses.

[boobwindow]

If you want us to succeed, no funny business, Nygma.

[ He might be the only Gothamite who hasn't lost his marbles yet, but he's still one of them. God, she wishes she could ask Bruce on how exactly to proceed here. ]

I want your word.

[enigmaestro]

My word!

[He gasped the phrase, turning an echo into a vaudevillian display with his lips ajar and his fingers fluttering to his chest. But the show was performed only for a moment -- Eddie soon broke into a smile and offering a hand towards Power Girl.]

I assure you, on my word. No funny business.

[He was more a riddler than a joker, anyway.]

Shake on it?

[boobwindow]

[ Despite the fact she's the one who sought him out, who waited for his appearance and has taken time out of her schedule to do it when she could have carried on this investigation without him possibly, Peej hesitates for a few seconds before taking Eddie's hand. While shaking, she does give his hand a squeeze that would leave him sore for a minute at least. ]

Deal. Don't make me regret it, Nygma. I'd like to believe you're not like the others.

[ Stupid Crane. ]

I want to see that tape.

[enigmaestro]

[He had tried not to wince at the grip -- but of course Eddie had, of course his fragile middle-aged bones couldn't withstand that sun-soaked Kryptonian strength. At least he could meet her eyes, as he flinched. When Power Girl released him, Eddie withdrew his hand with a polite smile.

Let her think she was the alpha vowel, if she wanted.]

So you will. But that will mean another face-to-face meeting. For quite obvious reasons, I'd rather keep the physical tape within my own possession. At least until we have a viable battle plan.

Be sure to contact me whenever you're ready.

[boobwindow]

[ The second they release each other's hands, Peej's hand shoots toward Eddie's collar. Her fingers curl into the fabric and she lifts him up a good foot above the ground, glaring at him.

Wouldn't it be easier to threaten him? Brute force and all, she could simply throw him off the rooftop and scare him into telling her where the tape is and how to access it.

But a deal is a bloody deal and she tries to be a woman of her wood. Peej grunts and drops Eddie, crossing her arms in utter annoyance. ]

... fine. Keep your line open, then. I don't want to have to come and find you myself.