A Clever Fascination

Chapter 2 - Old Friends

"Edward! What the hell do you think you're doing? Giving Jim Gordon Zsasz's location? Really, Ed? He had dirt on all of us, who knows what he'd could tell them in exchange for a plea deal. Are you out of your mind? You've out done yourself this t-"

"That girl. The Detective. Is she dangerous?"

Oswald watched Ed's perplexed face with a look of confused on his own sharp features. He'd burst into Dans La Vie demanding answers from Nygma and, when he put two and two together, he got them.

"You've met Detective Valentine then?" A sudden smug smirk adorned Osward's pointed face. He'd been waiting for this. For the inevitably fallout that would follow when Edward met the woman. Oswald did his own research after he'd met her. She was clever, remarkably so.

Ed didn't look at the man, he stared out of the window, out onto the murky city he had known for years. He wasn't going to rise to taunting.

"I have."

Oswald remembered meeting Kit Valentine, it had been interesting. When the detective was tracking Zsasz, the first person she questioned was Cobblepot. Though her questioning wasn't threatening or rude. She was charming and polite. Kind, even. It was clear from their interaction that wasn't from Gotham. The accent and the mannerisms gave it away in the first 10 seconds.

"I appreciate the respect, Detective. But everyone in my city calls me The Penguin." He watched for her reaction to his boast.

"You aren't an animal, Mr Cobblepot, I'm not going to refer to you as such. You said 'your city', sir?" She replied with almost something of a smile playing on her lips.

He'd observed the obvious tiredness on her face. But she was ridiculously pretty. There was no other way of putting it. She had something about her. It was mostly in her eyes. They were dark and expressive, though they didn't give her away at the same time, they told only when she was thinking. She had a confident gait and moved almost silently. He believed her to be about average height and build but a long coat kept her frame mostly hidden.

"But of course. I'm surprised you don't know my reputation. I admit, I was worried when you told me you were with the GCPD. I'm not sure what business could have brought you here so civilly."

"I've done all the research I need, Mr Cobblepot. Currently, my case is primararly surrounding Victor Zsasz. You have nothing to worry about. Not from me anyway." She spoke fluently and effortlessly.

She had known who he was and still treated him with more respect than half the people he'd come across in his life. Odd. The girl was odd. Not conventionally odd. Not like him or the cast of weirdos that Gotham tended to attract. She was a different kind. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't odd that made her odd.

"What did you think of her?" Oswald asked. He was just dying to know. Surely Ed couldn't keep his cool this time, not with the clever little lackey of Jim Gordon's poking around.

"She's new."

"I could've told you that. What do you think?" Oswald didn't scoff but he wanted to.

That's all Ed could use to describe her so far. Though not exactly new in her job anymore, she wasn't rough and strict like Jim Gordon. She wasn't sly and manipulative like Oswald. She wasn't smug and dangerous like Zsasz. And she wasn't cold and calculated like him. She was new. Unpredictable.

"I don't know yet. I have to find out more about her to form an opinion. She doesn't give much away. She's somewhat clever though, I know that." He gave Oswald the answer he was looking for but wouldn't tell him exactly what he was thinking. That never worked out well. No, Oswald had to stay out of his head if he was going to figure this one out.

The shorter man sniggered slightly, leaning on his cane as he did so.

"I found her to be rather charming."

"You have a lovely home." She had said, scanning is book shelf with her dark eyes. Her voice was low and her accent strong.

"Oh, no, this is only one of my properties. I don't conduct business at home. Please, take a seat." He offered.

"I can appreciate that. Not to worry, I won't take up too much of your time." Her smile seamed professional but genuine. Oswald found himself curious to know how she treated people she considered friends. If she offered this much respect to a known criminal, she must be a saint to those she protected as part of the almighty GCPD. Having only been on his radar for a couple of months, he couldn't say for certain how long she had been employed there.

The pleasantries had continued throughout her short visit and even when they had met again during a chance meeting, Valentine treated him with civility and respect. Oswald noticed when people did that, as it wasn't very common in his lifetime. She was just a pleasant person, apparently. It wouldn't have mattered in the slightest that she was good natured, but she was good natured toward him and the self-centred miscreant chose not to give her any reason to stop. One thing he had picked up on, was how her eyes darted around a lot, she was observant. It was something Ed noticed too. Awareness and perhaps distrust.

"Yes, she isn't as antagonising as the others, is she?" He referred the other brutes that the police force called 'Officers'.

"I'll have to keep an eye on her. People that are attractive and intelligent are not to be trusted." Oswald threw slight shade at his old friend, calling back to a history that the both of them would rather forget.

Ed ignored him, as he often did. The Riddler knew he wanted to find out just how clever Katherine was, much like he had done to Lucius Fox back in the day. But Fox was too honourable to be a worthy rival. He almost hoped that Katherine Valentine wouldn't be the same.

Oswald wasn't sure how his old friend would react to the detective the next time they met. In all his years of knowing Nygma, he'd scarcely seen him so quiet. Ed would possibly see her as a threat, given her intelligence. He may also find her to be the most interesting woman he'd ever met and fall head over heels in love. It wouldn't be the first time. In which case, Oswald would take great pleasure in watching a forbidden romance unfold and likely end badly, as they often did for Edward.

Ed knew that any opinion he may have on the detective needed to be kept from The Penguin, for now. Besides, he had only briefly met her. He needed to test the waters first. He also had to be sure Gordon wouldn't be a problem, though he likely would.

So this was his new riddle. Katherine Valentine was just another puzzle to solve and Edward Nygma solved puzzles like it was second nature.

"Do you think I could get a message to Zsasz while he's in custody?" Edward lamented, more of a declaration of what he intended to do than a question. Oswald eyed him.

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes and tried to piece together even the foggiest idea of what Ed might be up to. It was hard, given that the trust between the two seemed to dissolve more and more every year. He didn't tell him anything anymore really and that made it harder to keep up with Edward's ever evolving schemes.

"I have a job for him."

"You're not going to kill her, surely?" The well dressed man sounded almost surprised.

"No, I don't think so. Just curious."