Riddle 027: All About the Game (And How You Play It)

[questionauthority]

[A - Action: 726 Anderson Lane - Morning

Edward Nigma isn't having such a hot morning. After searching his room in frustration for any trace of his familiar emerald suits or his trademark canes, he heads into his study, tearing into a letter he received in the mail this morning. His eyes narrow as he scans through the letter. He's being asked to kill. Judging from the almost formulaic structure of the letter, he assumes that the rest of the town has received identical letters, if not a good deal of the population. He isn't the only one being asked to play this little game.

There's no question that Edward's greatest desire is to be recognized and accepted for the true genius that he is. But can the town actually promise him that? There has to be a catch. There's always a catch. Flipping through the rest of the documents he's been given, he pauses when he comes across a small photograph. He's in it. Prominent in the foreground, really, sitting on a park bench. In the somewhat blurred background of the photograph, a young brunette in a labcoat plants a soft kiss on his cheek. Eddie shoots to his feet and stares down at the photo, his stomach churning incredibly uncomfortably. He's horrified, appalled, enraged that this town would dare to...

There's a beat as he attempts to maintain his cool. He flips the photo upside down so that he doesn't have to keep looking at it, reading through the rules and regulations of this little game. This town's promising him acceptance? Fine. He'll do it. He'll play their little game.]

[B - Action: Mayfield High School.

Dressed in an uncharacteristic black, wearing a matching trilby atop his head, Eddie sits behind the desk of his Ethics classroom.]

I trust a good deal of you received something interesting in the mail this morning? Well, then. By a show of hands, how many of you intend to take part in this little game that the town's set up for us?

[This question's not just for the sake of class discussion, it's for the sake of evaluating who could be a potential threat. Any one of them could be targeting him, after all.]

[C - Action: After School, On the Way Back to 726 Anderson.

The Riddler ducks into a phonebooth, taking another good look at the name he's been assigned.

"el Reino de España (Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo)"

"The Kingdom of Spain?!" ...one of those countries, then. The question is, how the hell is he supposed to find this target? It's not as though he can simply find him on a map. Not for this. Edward puts the paper away, heading out of the phonebooth and making his way back home. The gun in his breast pocket hardly weighs him down. He'll find his target. And he'll make it to the next round. And he'll win the respect and admiration of this whole damn town.

If there's one thing that Edward Nigma knows, it's how to play a game. And how to play it well.]

((OOC: Tags may come a bit slow today and tomorrow. Still adjusting to life on the West Coast. Thanks for understanding!))

Comments

[koyo]

Jaj, I'm not afraid! ( ( Only, he kind of is. ) ) If someone is after me, a house with my name attached to it isn't particularly safe, no?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[He glances disdainfully at his own mailbox, the word "NIGMA" having been so conveniently displayed along the side. Thank you, Mayfield.]

No. No, it isn't.

[If this stranger's already gotten a good look at the mailbox by now, there's no reason he shouldn't introduce himself. If he's here to target Edward, then he's more than ready to defend himself. Besides... judging from this stranger's accent, he has one rather large suspicion he'd like to confirm. Looking up from the mailbox, he initiates.]

Edward Nigma. And you are?

[koyo]

( ( Spain never asked for an introduction. He remembers his situation, knowing that he should be careful. Smiling at the introduction, he introduces himself, ) )

Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón. ( ( No, he isn't really the king of Spain. ) ) But Alfonso is fine.

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Alfonso. Alfonso. Wasn't his target identified as "Alfonso?" The rest of his name isn't quite as condensed as the letter had made it out to be, but...]

Alfonso will do. Your name's quite a mouthful, otherwise.

[koyo]

Is it? It sounds fine to me. ( ( A pause, ) ) Well, I should probably be going? It was nice to meet you, Señor Nigma.

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

Wait.

[Come on, Edward, don't act so suspiciously.]

Would you, ah... would you be interested coming in for a drink? Susan's likely beaten me back home by now. Perhaps she can prepare a little something for us.

[koyo]

Ah, thank you but-- ( ( Susan? ) ) Iiii really wouldn't want to intrude.

( ( Or maybe he should. ) )

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Shy, are we? Don't be. Edward places a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light pat.]

I insist, amigo. Besides, the streets are still dangerous. You never know what you might run into if you stay out here.

[koyo]

( ( Not shy just belatedly cautious. He tenses slightly and fixes his face, curious. That accent is horrible but

oh. he's always been pretty easily won over by words. ) )

If it's




just a drink.

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[As they enter the house, a boy with a wooden bat at his side stands just inside the front door and gazes watchfully at Edward and his "guest" as they pass. Based on Edward's sudden uncharacteristic "philanthropic" behavior, Slugger concludes that this man must be his target.

He remains silent and will follow the two of them like a shadow through the house...]

Eddie => Spain => Slugger?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Edward nods to Slugger in greeting.]

Do you know if Susan's gotten home yet?

[He guides them along into the den.]

Works for me!

[koyo]

( ( Spain notes the boy and thinks nothing of the bat. It was apparently a popular sport here and he assumes the boy is on some sort of team. . . . He wishes the boy would say something though instead of just following silently.

Once in the den, Spain looks around for photographs. Who is Susan? Is she the "mother" or "daughter?" Not that. . . it made a difference. Or did it? ) )

If she isn't home, I can always come back another time. . .

( ( When no one else was home, preferably. ) )

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Finally, Slugger speaks but only to give a vague answer in response to Edward's question.]


She's around.


[Take that as you will. He stands with his back to the wall near the den's entrance and continues to watch silently, eyes shaded under the visor of his ball cap. Between Edward and the guest, his gaze settles mostly on Spain. One question comes to mind: If he's Edward's target, why does he care about where Susan is?]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Edward doesn't take a seat, instead standing near the couch. He glances back at Spain.]

Well. What will you be having, then?

[koyo]

( ( Around? Around where? Spain listens to the house for a sound; dishes in the kitchen, footsteps upstairs, any sign that someone else is in the house. He's listening hard and ignoring this voice in the back of his head. He should leave and come back another time but what if there isn't another time? Twenty-five million lives were at risk.

It takes him a moment to process that hes' being spoken to, ) )

Ah, anything! I mean. Anything is fine.

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Slugger continues to stand by, growing impatient. He wonders, briefly, if Edward intends to poison his target, but that couldn't be right. Poisoning wasn't really Edward's style. Perhaps Edward just needed a moment to find his gun. If so, he would keep an eye on their "guest".]

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

[Around is probably much closer than Spain thinks it is. Slugger will probably be the first to notice the woman clothed in black silently standing in the entrance of the living room, by virtue of being Slugger. There is a flattened expression in her eyes.

Edward did not invite strangers over for drinks.

Humans. No matter how many times she bore witness to their shortcomings firsthand, no matter how she disparaged their blundering existences... there was a part of her that always put too much stock into them. That, too, must have been something she inherited from Grandfather. For this man's sake, for her own sake, but most of all, for Edward's sake... She hoped, for once, she was wrong.]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Edward nods, flashing Spain an incredibly nauseating grin. Once he gets to the kitchen, he intends to figure out a game plan. He has the measly little fly caught in his web. Now to determine how best to execute him. He turns to the entrance to give Slugger a solemn nod... though he quickly straightens as soon as he realizes that the three of them aren't alone.]

Susan.

[He doesn't want her to see this. He really doesn't want her to be here right now.]

[koyo]

( ( In return, Spain smiles. It's far from his trademark smile but it's sincere enough. Lost in his thoughts, he doesn't realize someone else has come to join them right away. It takes him a moment and he looks up.

Is that her? His mind is racing. Edward was in the kitchen. There's only a child between them. If he could move quickly, he could take his knife and-- "Susan."His hand twitches to go for his weapon but he clenches it closed. There was no longer just a child between them. ) )

So you're Susan? ( ( Think, think, think. ) ) Señor Nigma has talked about you quite a bit since we've met.

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[At this point, Slugger's hand has tightened so hard around the grip of his bat that the knuckles are turning pale. He wants to finish this before Edward's target gets any ideas. They haven't even ruled out whether the man has brought a weapon of his own to use. Why else, given the circumstances, would he enter a stranger's home so willingly? Perhaps he himself had a target here.

It was all very... unsettling. Slugger glances dubiously at Susan and takes a step away from the wall as though trying to send Edward a cue to hurry up and do whatever it was he planned to do. Because if this guy decided to come at him or Susan, Slugger would have to end it himself.]

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

How flattering.

[She crosses the doorway to enter into the living room. Her glance goes neither to her 'husband' nor to their guest, but to the boy tensely curling his fingers around the grip of his signature weapon. It is a pacifying glance, unruffled. Yes, Slugger. You need not worry. Once before, she had defended her charges from a man seeking murder. She hadn't thought she'd ever be in a situation with two of them in the same room.]

As you no doubt know by now, my name is Susan Sto Helit. It's a pleasure, I'm sure. But don't let me be the centerpiece of conversation.

[She seats herself lopsidedly on the armrest of the couch between Spain and Edward and smiles charmingly, an arm hanging loosely over the edge.]

Shall we talk a bit about the two of you? How is it that you two met?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Spain's reaction to Susan's arrival is rather... odd. Why would he go about saying that he'd heard "quite a bit" about Susan when he'd hardly shared any details about her to begin with? Unless...

No. She couldn't be his target, could she?

Damn. Then her arrival really could end up forcing his hand. Edward grits his teeth. For now, he'll maintain a certain degree of calm. The gun's still in his pocket and he's a fast enough draw. If anything should happen, he's prepared to fire.]

We met just down the street, as a matter of fact. I offered him a chance to sit down. Relax. Have a drink.

After all... you never know what kind of trouble you might run into when you're out.

[He says this last bit ironically.]

[koyo]

( ( Susan's actions confuse him. How can any one remain so calm in all of this? Did she not know. . . no, she had to. Everyone in town was talking about this game. Was she simply. . . not afraid? He opens his mouth to announce his intentions but shuts it, thinking twice against it. When he finally does speak, he only goes along, ) )

Sí, he's correct. We've only just met.

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[In that brief moment when Susan meets his gaze, the slight pounding in his chest quiets. But when she continues into the living room, it starts up again, twofold. Slugger watches as she casually takes a seat like some hostess at a tea party.

Until then, he was certain she knew what she was doing. Now, he's questioning her sanity. Trying to be inconspicuous, he starts edging closer and closer to where Spain is seated. It isn't easy keeping an eye on three people at once.]

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

How droll.

[Susan seems to take a few moments to think before rejoining with a bright smile. She stands as she does so, facing first Edward, then Spain, in turns.]

Very altruistic of you. Let me see now... When was the last time you invited anyone over for drinks? Never? I think it was never. Let's not even get into the last time you did anything even remotely altruistic.

And, as for you, please accept my compliments on broadening my world-view. My opinion of human stupidity is so much satisfactorily lower now. Are you deaf? Perhaps you're an imbecile? Did you honestly walk into such an obvious trap in the process of setting your own?

Don't either of you move. I will reap both of your souls personally, painfully, and exceedingly slowly as soon as the town is finished parading us through these damned charades, and I may very possibly take great pleasure in it. Did Edward mention that when he talked so much about me? I'm rather fond of the idea of eternal damnation, in hindsight, and it's beginning to look attractive about now.

[Susan Sto Helit, mostly human, partly immortal anthropomorphic. And yet it is not so different from Susan Sto Helit, fully human. Her voice carries with it eerie shades of her Grandfather's implacable tones that vibrated through the soul; every schoolteacher, maternal provider, and sisterly figure is channeled through that voice, and every last one is Deeply and Severely Disappointed in You. The power of command came not with the genetics; no, this power belonged entirely and exclusively to Susan Sto Helit, Eternal Governess.

There was an aura of furious energy that made one instinctively want to Go to His Room or at least Time Out in the Corner. There was a sense that somehow, the world was so much less. This woman, chillingly angry, was the foreground, and everything else, furniture, people, walls, even your own thoughts, faded straight into the background.

Listen To Me, spoke that voice.

I'm Not Asking Twice.]

This is where we stand. Before we skip to the part where we begin attempting to murder each other, let's at least make a vague attempt to be civilized adults. Please, let's. Blood is a nightmare to wash out of carpeting.

You first, señor.

Why?