grace under pressure • jerome valeska

CHAP.60: Mandatory Brunch Meeting

  After Jerome and I introduced ourselves, we showed our guests around. The girl with half a burned face (which I learned her name was "Firefly") seemed more curious and a lot more "raising eyebrows" sort of person but over all I could tell she liked the words coming out of Jerome and I's mouths. I loved it when people agreed with me. Mr. Freeze seemed already to like what we were selling from how he acted. Well, actually, he didn't really speak he just kept making weird noises from his suit. I think him and Baggy would like each other. Than there was Jerome and I's old friend, Limpy. 

  Oswald seemed a lot more calm and collected than the last time I saw him. He was dressed like a true Gotham gangster with all the extra bling. I didn't know he was a dressy kind of guy but I should have assumed from how he acted. He did seem a little twitchy when he was too close to Jerome and I but he had always been like that.

  Jerome and I had gave them all rooms which Firefly and Mr. Freeze excepted but Limpy said he already had a place to stay. He was probably getting that club of his back again. He could do that. As long as he also helped Jerome and I's cause. Which we were going to explain to them today. Since they came between breakfast and lunch, Jerome and I had gotten the idea for us to have...wait for it...BRUNCH! We could discuss everything we needed to over some well deserved food. My stomach growled just thinking of it. When was the last time I ate? I couldn't remember.

  While the inmate-servants made food and set up the table in the dining room, everyone basically wandered around and looked at all the artifacts the Falcones left behind. I was currently one of them, staring at a vase on a large pedestal. I tilt my head at it. It had a large bottom and curved up ward until it came into a ring at the top. The pattern was white with green leaves and vines curling in the shapes of dragons. From how it looked it could easily be around 50,000 or more. Probably more. I could partly see my reflection in it. Staring at myself. 

  I never liked expensive vases. They reminded me of my father who had a fondness for them. I hated thinking of my father. Or any family of mine for that matter. I see my eyes gleam in my reflection and I smile. I lift my hand up slowly, getting ready to push the vase over but I hear a voice behind me. 

  "I wouldn't do that." I hear the voice say in a rush. I freeze my hand in the air. I knew that voice of course, already hearing the familiarity. I chuckle softly and pull my hand back, standing up slowly and turning my head to Limpy who stood a good five feet away from me. I tilt my head at him. 

  "And why is that?" I ask. He glances at the vase then back to me. 

  "That was...a friend of mine's vase. It is very expensive and one of a kind. It was hard for him to find it." He explains. I raise a brow to him then look at the vase, scanning over the patterns. I laugh a little, running my fingers over the bumpy parts of the vase. I smile and turn back to Limpy. 

  "I find things like that funny." I tell him. I could tell he was confused and he raised a brow. I knew he was very uncomfortable talking to me in general so I banked off that. He cleared his throat. 

  "Um, I don't understand." He says. I make a face then motion to the vase, still keeping my eyes on Limpy. 

  "Money. I find the greed for money funny. Like this vase. You don't want me to tip this thing over because it costs a lot of money." I say then shake my head, tsking. I sigh. I look back at the vase and play with the top, making it wobble a bit. I continue. 

  "This is obviously a lot of money. And that is what you people like. Gangsters. You like money. But it never lasts, does it? You always have to get more and more and more. It is never enough. I recently had a conversation about this with an old...associate of my father's. Actually, the guy you told me about." I finally look back to Limpy to see his eyes were wide. I smile. I suddenly slam my hand on the pedestal but not hard enough to throw the vase off. He flicks his eyes to it then to me. I laugh.