2014.04.09 - Court of Owls: Special Delivery Jokergram!

Things with Cardinal handled: check.

McHeigh case proceeding: Check.

House a disaster area and taped off by police: sadly, check.

Edward was out of luck in the evening; his home office was wrecked, his window destroyed and so he hadn't bothered to go home that day. Instead, he had a standing room at a reasonably priced but no questions asked hotel that wasn't utterly seedy, but did the job of not asking questions and not letting people know who was staying there either. He was still dressing 'off dutyt'; his suit gray and his tie blue. Drab, normal, and boring... just the way to blend in, right?

Now if he could get to his room for the night without anything else happening, he'd be grateful.

Sadly, when the Riddler entered the seedy area of town, slightly grainy though it may be, he inadvertantly entered the net of the Joker. There was a standard order amongst every snitch, ferret and dealer that anyone who found out where he is was to be well-rewarded. And Joker was quite generous when made happy, as long as one kept their distance. Such allure is how he attracts many of his dearest followers, like flies to honey, eventually becoming trapped and suffocating. One such man was the owner of the hotel, who eyeballed Edward a few times as he walked by towards his room, before looking up the registered name. A few moments later, his ancient computer googles the name. Alfred Mosher. Every single top hit is 'Butts', causing him to go "Huhuhuh." a few times. Inventor of scrabble? Another few clicks takes him to a mugshot of Edward Nygma.

Bingo.

The hotel in question is not completely awful at least. The roaches are nice enough to avoid light, and although things are chewed by mice, there's no... oh wait, there's one slipping into a hole in the wall. Well, if you want anonymity, this is about the best you can get without providing an ID. At least he can finally relax, without worrying about owls, murder, and being harrassed...

Using a burner phone -- he shoots off an email and then turns the cellphone completely off. He has his suitcase here; one with a false lining and some riddler gear tucked away, but the top clothes are all dreary, work a day crap. Eveything Edward had striven to avoid, as he became the Riddler, back in the day. Useful disguises, now.

He stripped down, hit the shower, tended to his wounds. There was no way he was sleeping in the nude in a dive like this-- and had sprayed the room down with delouser before he left. A moment later he was in boxers and an undershirt, arranging his room for the night. Gun on the nightstand, cane next to it, clothes neatly arranged into 'clean' and 'not clean' piles. He turned on the TV, and sat at the edge of the bed to watch the news.

The news is talking a bit about the Joker's latest antic, involving stealing a piece of stretchy cloth from Mr. Fantastic earlier in the day. Weird, but when has he ever made sense. Of course, he probably is too occupied to notice when the Joker arrives, all purple suit and smiles, to recieve the master key from the cowering hotel owner. A large stack of money is placed on the counter after, before he leaves. Another thug is with him, a massive wrapped present under his arms. Settling himself before the door, the Joker taps against it with the end of his own cane, leaning up to peer at the peephole. This time if Edward looks through, a decidedly warped fishbubble view of the Joker's face, and the present-touting goon with him, is in sight. "Riddler! Riddler! Are you home?! I've got flowers!!" He pushes the flowers against the peephole, as if this might somehow convince him to open the door.

"For the love of--"

Edward grabbed his gun from the nightstand, and chambered a round. This time he was not going to play around. Heading to the door, he stayed against the wall instead of the door proper; he didn't have to look through the peephole.

"You've got five minutes to vacate, Joker! I'm not interested in what you're selling door to door!" Could he not have a night's rest? Not one? March had left like a lion, alright, and Edward was tired of it raining cats on his days.

Insistent knocking continues once more. "Come on! Open up. I'm here to bring you get-well flowers. And a GIFT!" There's the comical sound of someone's face pressing into the blinded window, trying to peer within. "Is this because I tried to kill you? It was just a misunderstanding!! Everyone makes MISTAKES!" Suddenly the sound of the knob turning, rattling, insistent. "Let me in...!!" An edge of annoyance now, to a voice dangerous even in greatest cheer.

"I'm fine and not dressed. You can leave it with your snitch doorman!" He's so very angry about this; if he opens, he engages again. If he keeps him out with no back up, while wounded...

"I'm fine and not dressed. You can leave it with your snitch doorman!" He's so very angry about this; if he opens, he engages again. If he keeps him out with no back up, while wounded..

"Send your hired men downstairs to wait," he said. "You keep them out, we'll talk." See? That's a thing. Isn't he reasonable?

"What? Fine. Gimme the present." The goon hands it over, and then the Joker simply stands at the door as the other figure lumbers away, hand on his hip and huffing impatiently as he cants his body to the side as if some spurned female. A foot taptaptaps on the ground, more than a little expectant. At least it seems right now, his personality isn't one that's deadly... which is good. It reminds him of the old Joker. The one that always pat him on the back and laughed, without then garrotting him a moment later.

Edward listened for the footfalls in the hall; once he was sure the Joker was alone, he opened the door. His greeting was the gesture of the gun. Inside, J man. Inside.

"Why are you following me?" he asked. "Not that I'm not flattered but -- I'm a busy man. Other fish to fry right now."

"Put that toy away." the Joker states. His hand actually moves far faster than Edward might expect. No motion in his shoulder. No flex of muscle. Just a burst of speed, intending to yank the gun from the Riddler's hand and toss it out the door before it's kicked shut. But a failure or struggle won't particularly bother him, all the same. "I'm not here to *kill* you. ...But I wasn't last time, either! History has a funny way of repeating itself..." A twitch of a grin, glancing to Edward. "Stop being so on edge. Relax. Relaaaaax. It's just you and me, now. Old friends. Pals!" The present held in both hands, heels together and stance perfect. "I had an interesting dream I wanted to tell you about. Would you like to listen?"

Dammit, Joker! Edward flinched and hurt, shaking his hand as it stung. Ow!

"You're giving me a "I have a dream" speech? Let me get my pants." He headed for the suitcase, though he kept his eyes on the prize, unwilling to look anywhere but at the Joker as he circled the bed, refusing to get too close.

"Stop moving!" Joker states, sounding annoyed. "Who knows what sort of riddle-shuriken or riddle-boomerangs or riddle-guns you have in that luggage!!" Joker states, marching forward to try and herd the Riddler into a corner or something. Only to thrust out the present in Edward's direction. "I brought you something fun. A case! Inside a case! Hahaha! You should OPEN it!!" It feels... not super heavy. But if it did something fatal, Joker probably wouldn't be standing so close.

OR WOULD HE?

Eddie makes a note to himself: If he's going to have to oepn it, though, and he ends up with the arm full of case a moment later. "You going to tell me what you wanted with Stretch's underwear?" he asked, as he fumbled with the package to get it open. "That's weird, even for you."

"I got an inspiration for a funny gag from a movie. You'll see." is all Joker has to say about that. Although his spirits are high, in obvious anticipation. God only knows what his plan might be, but hopefully it doesn't involve too large a bodycount. The ribbon is tied in a tight knot. Oho. This is actually a puzzle. Riddler would have to carefully analyze and deduct the knot of it in order to get the package open. "I had a dream I was in the dark. The sound of barn animals ringing in my head. The great stompings of a mighty giant, before the very earth fell!" Joker raises his arms into the air, obviously into the joke. "There was an owl watching me, but sounded like no owl. He threw me a magic key to a great wonderland. Fire! Bang! BOOM!" The sound effects and gestures are making it really hard to untie that knot. "And then there was just a puppet. A discarded puppet. But they said something, in a voice without a hoot, that stuck in my head... it won't get out...!" Danger. Danger. Something is manic in the Joker's eyes now.

Joker knows he can't resist--that he has to tackle the gordian knot presented. Dammit, he wishes he had pants on, but he has to sit down on the bed to get both hands into play. That'll hopefully get Joker a little further away from him.

"Owls, huh? They sure are getting around," he muttered, looking up. He did not like that gleam, no sir. But he has to ask: "What did they say? What... did the Court of Owls tell you?"

What in the name of God would they want with the Joker?

The knot finally comes undone. And then, when opened, there's no explosion. A bundle of what seems to be a cape. It's covered in multiple slashes and such, not of a particularly high quality. Blackened singes, as if from an explosion. Burrowing deeper, Edward would find a simple piece of electronics. A transmitter, for audio. A bunch of wires, nothing special there. ...And then a mask. An owl mask, cheaply made. It seems glass lenses had once been in the eyes, but were prodded out; and the electronic transmitter had been at the mouth. It should become clear that the Joker's little dream was reality. The Court must have approached him. But for what?

"They said... does it matter?" Joker offers, as if this is a riddle that can be answered. "Does it matter...?! What... what were they talking about? I can't..." He seems frustrated, raking the side of his face so hard blood is drawn. Body shuddering. "DOES IT MATTER, RIDDLER?!"

This is no time for Edward to make a hostile move. No. Joker's stronger, faster, and a far better brawler, even without his bag of tricks. This is the thinnest ice possible...

Stronger, certainly. Faster-- detabable; while he's injured, though, certainly-- Joker has him beat. As able to endure like Edward? There's few rogues that can take a beating and still get up afterwards like Edward Nygma can. But he doens't want to test that. Instead, he pushes the package off his lap -- he can't wait to go through it, comb it for evidence...

But he has a madman at the foot of his bed. That's the more pressing concern. "Does it? You're the only one who can tell me... if the Owls dared *take* something from you."

"Owls." Joker states, rubbing at the side of his head. "Owls. Owls. Owls... Parliaments of them. That's what they are called. Not courts. You said a COURT of OWLS." Legends, rumors, all boil around within his head once more. "They are real. I knew it. Something so insane, so impossible..." A laugh, deep and heartfelt. "Of COURSE it was. Because life never makes sense." Eyes close, and the Joker pinches his nose. It is a rare incident, when he battles against his whirling mind. Trying to find something specific. He dislikes it. Other memories echo and tease, ones he does unspeakable atrocities to avoid. And then green eyes snap open. "I asked them... ...if they are who is straining the Batman. Distracting him...!! And they said... DOES IT MATTER?!"

He moves forward. Fast. Incredibly fast. He's never shown himself able to *move* like this to Edward, that manic power and mindless speed of someone completely over the edge, able to surprise and injure even the likes of Batman. With intent to grasp Riddle by his simplistic shirt, and shake him.

"So the hootie-hoots... they are the ones who are trying to get between me and my prey? Me and my SECOND HALF? They are /real?!/" But then he'd let go with a giggle, rubbing the side of his face, blood smearing from the scratches. "As... as real as can be expected... when everything's as much a hallucination as not...!!"

Dammit, it's like talking to...well, a madman. Edward knew that once it was just as difficult to talk to him, to get through the haze of insanity. He was a riddle-tongued fool, then. Sometimes words came out in anagram, phrases were wrapped in riddles. There's still pieces of his mind missing, after the coma, but... but...

No, best not to think of those times, of the things he lost. Stay in the now and try and get the *goddamn Joker off him*.

"I don't know!" He's but one piece of the puzzle away, though; If he could remember why making someone into Bruce Wayne was important, if he could know what the death of the parents did to him... he'd understand what the Owls are probably trying to do with Johnathan McHeigh! But he can't. It's gone, lost in the maze of his damaged mind.

"Get off me!" he pushed back, snarling. "I don't know what the owls want with your precious Batman. Maybe they think he's run the city too long. Maybe he's not one of their precious city scions..! But going after me won't help you get him back."

"Hah." Joker states finally, stepping fully away from the Joker. "That's right. They think they can take down Batman...? Fools. Lunacy. They are more MAD than I am!!" Before he slowly allows his frown to vanish, and tilts his head to the side. "Did you know... they say every 35 years, the Owls will sacrifice two members... husband and wife? That the Talons are unkillable guardians... and that they kidnap naughty children to turn them into brutal weapons. They can even raise the dead!!" The Joker begins to laugh, turning away now to hold his face. "Lunacy. Insanity. Isn't it... ISN'T IT?!" Whether Edward knew those details are not, the Joker storms out of the apartment, leaving the door creaking partially closed...

With space claimed and his shirt finally free, Edward scrambled back. He didn't try and stop the Joker; instead, he let him leave-- and then shut the door immediately behind him. He had to get pants! He needed a proper lab! He needed to get ahold of Cardinal or Batman or someone--

He had all these new peices, and the puzzle was getting clearer and clearer...

He was on the cusp of something amazing.