Riddle 032: Milked For All He's Worth

[questionauthority]

[Hey Mayfield. Guess who's been a busy little drone this evening? Well, now that he's gone and killed his first victim, the Riddler's going to be headed on home. But first?

A. ACTION - The Gas Station / Diner - Evening

The Riddler's at the gas station, whistling to himself and filling up the Riddler-Mobile. Which you've probably noticed is a little bit dented. And is missing a windshield. And appears to have something just barely jutting out of the trunk. It's small. Black. Almost looks like a piece of a certain someone's... cape. Not that any of this bothers the Riddler in the slightest.

B. ACTION - 726 Anderson Lane - Soon After

Now that his car's all filled up and everything's all hunky-dory, Edward Nigma's gonna head on home, parking his car in the garage. He doesn't bother taking the corpse out of the trunk, simply leaving it locked inside. Never mind the fact that his ordinarily stainless green suit is still covered in blood. His familiar cane, bent and bloodied, is in his hand.

When he enters the house, there's a big, cheery grin on his face.]

Daddy's home! [Laughing jovially, he'll mosey on over to the kitchen.] How's my happy, healthy family this evening?

Comments

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[What a load. Looking him over with a curious eye, Slugger notes the warping of the cane. He figures Edward got into another fight with someone and was droned consequently.]

Whose blood is it?

[pointing to the obvious stains. It's already occurred to him that the drone probably won't give a truthful answer, but he's just so curious.]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[He glances down at his jacket, flashing Slugger a grin.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[He's beginning to notice that something is odd about this droned Edward. Smirk fading, he ventures into the next question with the hope that whatever it is will become clearer.]

And you killed them?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[This is the first he's ever seen a drone act remotely hostile. And over that stupid milk rule? Slugger isn't entirely sure what to think at this point, but maybe if he can get Edward yelling loudly enough, it'll be enough of a warning for other housemates who may be within earshot.]

A criminal? What did he do?

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Brushing into the kitchen, he moves to the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of the Milkman's milk. With a twist, he opens it... though it takes an extra bit of effort for him to do so.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Slugger eyes him warily as Edward makes his way through the kitchen to the refrigerator and while he uncaps the untouched bottle. His gaze flashes once or twice between the milk and the man holding it. Of course it was true he hadn't abided by the new law today--it was moronic. But Edward's drone seemed very serious about it. Serious enough to kill someone. Still, Slugger doesn't attempt to flee the kitchen yet.]

It's probably poisoned or full of bugs. It always is.

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Heading to the cupbord, Edward retrieves a tall glass. Pours the milk from the bottle into said glass. And offers it to Slugger.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Except the spiders surfacing from the milk to crawl up the inside of the glass visibly contradict Edward's statement. Slugger can't help his next reaction which is to lean away from the offered glass and press his lips together in a tight line. He makes no move to lift a hand and accept it.]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Edward's eyes, beady and glazed over, narrow venomously.]



[He swings the empty milk bottle down against the side of the counter, shattering it instantly. He maintains his grip on the jagged remnants of the bottle, though, brandishing it to the side in case Slugger decides not to listen.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[A hard flinch as shattered glass and milk and spiders explode everywhere. Backing away quickly from Edward and the jagged glass, Slugger brushes away what he can of the spiders that have landed on him. He could easily escape the mad man but something tells him, as the only one in the house who could easily recover from such an attack, he should stay and keep Edward's attention.

That in mind he deliberately disobeys his "father's" command and shakes his head.]

No.

[hintcoinplz.livejournal.com]

Slugger!

[That would be Luke dashing into the kitchen, after escaping -

Oh.

This wasn't good.]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Nope. No, it wasn't.

Glaring dangerously from Slugger to Luke.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[With the Riddler distracted and glaring at Luke, Slugger takes a swing with his bat at the broken bottle in Edward's hand, trying to knock it out of his grip.]

[hintcoinplz.livejournal.com]

Take this!

[As Slugger swings the bat at Edward's hand, Luke attempts to aim a kick at Edward's shin.]

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

[As Luke kicks, something long and metal flashes through the air, spinning in the general direction of Edward's head. This is, perhaps, faintly reminiscent of another scene that had occurred in this household once upon a time. Pokers were much more sophisticated than baseball bats, of course.]

And that.

[Susan seems to have recovered from her temper tantrum. She lowers her arm from her position in the doorway; there is a sword attached to her side as well. Just in case.]

[puzzlerprince.livejournal.com]

[Direct hit on both accounts. The bottle is knocked away from Edward's hand, the rest of it shattering against the side of the counter. And Luke's kick to the shin is enough to knock him slightly off balance, though he doesn't fall to the ground. No, instead he sets his sights on Luke (an easier target, given his lack of a weapon.) He'll make a good little human shield.

Before he can lunge at the boy, though, he's interrupted by the sudden arrival of a flying poker. The pointed tip of which pierces into his temple, lodging itself right on into his head. He doesn't say a word---he can't, really. But after a second, the Riddler's drone tumbles to the ground. Dead.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Slugger doesn't even see the poker coming until its end is lodged in Edward's head. Gaping, he steps away further as the body hits the floor, milk from the glass spilling out as it shatters. Sights shifting from the now dead drone to the source of the poker, he spots Susan armed with a sword.

He doesn't say anything yet, just stares at her in shock as if to say 'That was some throw'.]

[hintcoinplz.livejournal.com]

[Luke doesn't have a comment for the poker, he just stares down at the dead body.

In absolute horror.]

[deaths-heritor.livejournal.com]

Luke, go upstairs.

[Before Luke can stare at the body too long, his vision is being obscured by the back of Susan's black cloak, which somehow seems to purposefully flare out to obstruct his sight. Susan will bend over and, with an unusual display of strength, pull the poker out from where it had lodged in the Riddler's head.

Blood and goo. Not particularly pleasant.]

Slugger, fetch me the linen bandages. Then escort your brother up.

[Whether that's a slip of the tongue or not, she doesn't correct herself.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[Shounen Bat takes orders from no one. Except his "mother". The requested items will be in Susan's arms in less than two seconds, after which Luke will feel a tap on his shoulder from behind.]

This way. Unless you want the nightmares to be worse.

[He's actually serious.]

[hintcoinplz.livejournal.com]

[Luke turns to Slugger, away from the corpse of Edward.]

H-he's...

[Dead, he's dead. He looks absolutely distressed at Slugger. While the dead do come back from Mayfield, it wasn't something he was used to witnessing.]

[strike-you-out.livejournal.com]

[While Slugger doesn't look very broken up about it, he kind of knows how Luke feels. Long ago he'd come home to discover Susan's body in a heap of butchered limbs thanks to Grady and experienced real trauma for what may have been the very first time. Compared to that, this was almost pleasant.]

Maybe this should go in the sketchbook.

[hintcoinplz.livejournal.com]

I don't want this to go in the sketchbook!

[...He probably said that louder then he should have, but right now he's more concerned about the dead body of the Riddler. Luke slightly lowers his voice.]

T-they come back right? That's what everyone says. It's true, isn't it?