questionauthority: (Out of my head!)
Edward Nigma | The Riddler ([personal profile] questionauthority) wrote in [community profile] mayfield_rpg2012-01-26 08:35 pm

Riddle 038: Banking on a Breakdown

[PHONE – UNFILTERED]

Well, well. You’ve got quite a lot to answer for, haven’t you, Mayfield? But what?!

What is it that you have to answer?
But to answer, you have to ask?
And to ask you have to speak?
And to speak, you have to know
The answer…!

[Should he speak any faster, Edward Nigma might start tripping over his own tongue-twisters. His voice is shaking, and from the sound of it? The way he’s fumbling with the phone in his hands makes it clear that he’s shaking too. He sounds exhausted, both physically and mentally. Enraged. Anguished. Wounded. Definitely unstable.]

What? What’s that, Mister Mayor? You haven’t got an answer for this? For these---these old wounds? Is death your final answer for all of us?

[He laughs. It’s a deranged, unhinged sound, furious and terrifying yet slightly pathetic at the same time.]

Guess again. You and your incompetent Chief of Police, and your---your---whoever the hell that woman on the phone with you was. Guess again.

Riddle me this, morons. "What… is the poorest bank in the world?" Hmm? [A beat.] I’ll give you a hint: It’s not a riverbank.

Still no answer? Pity. Because if... If I don’t have an answer from you by midnight, if you’re stupid enough not to have that damned machine of yours fixed by the end of the day and if you don’t bring her back---[Steady, Edward. Steady.]---and put everything back to the way it was before… then you’ll learn just how dangerous I can truly be. You will learn that I am not to be underestimated any longer. And by the end of the night, you'll get the message. You'll get it through that thick head of yours, even if I have to---even if I have to break it apart myself. You will know, Mister Mayor… that the Riddler… is better than you.

Don’t keep me waiting.

[ACTION - 726 ANDERSON LANE - AFTERNOON

Hearing how awful the Riddler is on the phone is one thing. Seeing how awful he's becoming is another thing entirely. Between Ema's death yesterday and his phone call today? He's gotten a hell of a lot worse. There are two distinctive wounds on his face---one on his temple, the other dead center on his forehead---and if you look carefully enough you can see the beginnings of what appears to be a very small dent growing in the back of his head.

After his little address to the town, there are a few things Eddie's got to try and take care of.

He's in the bathroom at one point, unraveling a roll of bandages and wrapping it around his head just above his eyebrows before shielding his bandaged skull beneath his hat.

He's in the bedroom for another moment, emerging in a tight green bodysuit littered with question marks with a heavy green trenchcoat resting over his broad shoulders.

He's in his study soon after that, filing frantically through index cards with handwritten instructions.

And finally, he's in the garage, loading up the trunk of the Riddler-Mobile and preparing himself for a long overdue business trip to...

ACTION - MAYFIELD BANK - EARLY EVENING

Because what better a way to get the Mayor's attention than a good ol' fashioned bank job? The frightened drones are loading up massive tote bags with cash, but the money's immaterial. Hostages are Edward's currency right now, drones in particular, and with enough hostages? The Mayor's bound to budge. He's bound to fix everything, right? ...right?]


What's. Taking. So. Long? [He paces around the bank in frustration, a loaded machine pistol hanging loosely from his fingers.] Where is he? Where? Where?

[Are you one of the Riddler's fellow partners-in-crime? A hostage who got caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or are you one of those noble do-gooders, here to try and save the day? Whoever you are, it's getting easier to tell that Eddie's condition is continuing in a steady decline. He's jumpy. He's twitchy. And his mind, what should be his most powerful weapon, is turning against him. What will you do?]

((OOC: The bank heist will come to an end eventually, but it will be at [personal profile] strike_you_out's hands. Please bear that in mind before responding! Thank you!))

[personal profile] 1st_superhero 2012-01-27 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, you're clearly robbing a bank. And I don't think this is one of those banks that deal in human trafficking or ripping out people's souls.

[personal profile] 1st_superhero 2012-01-27 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Mayfield, USA.

[He says it as if it is obvious.]

Still doesn't give you the right to hold innocent people hostage and rob a bank, though.

[personal profile] 1st_superhero 2012-01-28 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
There are sentients here as well. And if your grudge against the town is so big, then target the Mayor's Office or the Police Station, not a bank. You probably won't be able to use the money here for anything anyway.

[personal profile] 1st_superhero 2012-01-28 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
...Nope. Not a clue. Gonna give me any hints?

Two options now--4th wall + attempted homicide or no 4th wall. Will delete unreplied option

[personal profile] 1st_superhero 2012-01-29 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[He scratches his head. He definitely heard of that somewhere before, but where...?]

[Finally he just gives up and shrugs. No matter how hard he tries, he can't remember where he's seen that name.]

Nope. Doesn't ring a bell. But if you have a title like that, you're probably a professional villain, right?

And we finally see the result of Schrodinger's cat!

[personal profile] 1st_superhero 2012-01-29 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I'm a professional hero, so it's only right that we fight, right?

[He's smiling as he says this, almost as if he considers this to be the start of a very fun game.]

Mm...since I'm the challenger here, I'll let you pick the playing field. How do you wanna go about this fight? I'm best with physical stuff, but I can do mental stuff too if you want it.

[personal profile] 1st_superhero 2012-01-31 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
[...Oh crap.]

[He was getting that feeling again. The same one he got when Enkidu threw that thighbone at Ianna's face. It wouldn't be so bad if he still had his powers, but as it is, he's absolutely defenseless.]

Uh...I guess you don't wanna fight then.

[personal profile] 1st_superhero 2012-01-31 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well, after that machine gun propelled tap dance, Gilgamesh is pretty sure that he's bitten off more than he can chew this time.]

...Pretty well, actually.