questionauthority | Riddle 036: What is it that nobody wants to have, yet nobody wants to lose?

[A - ACTION - Hospital.

On an ordinary day, during an ordinary visit to the hospital (perhaps to see Ema), the Riddler winds up running into another familiar face. But there's something quite different about him today. He's got that cheery look in his eyes, a dopey smile that's been plastered onto his face. But unlike his ordinary childish facade, the look on Bruce Wayne's face is eerily... vacant. Empty.

Question: What happens when you discover that the man who's outwitted you, outmatched you, and beaten you to an absolute pulp more times than you can count has been turned into nothing more than a brainless automaton with no mind or free will to call his own?

Answer: Grin like a madman and gloat when nobody else is around.]

So you've failed at last. Disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. After all, who can truly hold a candle to my genius? Not you, Dark Knight. [He laughs.]

If only you could see yourself now. The World's Greatest Detective? Hardly.

Question:

"What is greater than God? More evil than the Devil himself?
The rich need it, the poor have it, and if you eat it you'll die?"

Answer: Nothing. You're nothing now. You've lost. And I, Edward Nigma, have finally---

[Won? ...no. No, he hasn't. Mayfield did this to him. Mayfield took the Batman and broke him down into nothing. Not the Riddler. This... isn't his victory. This was never a victory at all. And as soon as he realizes that, Edward's wide smirk fades into a venomous glare. Shoving the husk he once called his archnemesis out of his way, he moves to depart the hospital and put as much distance between himself and that... thing as he possibly can.]

[B - PHONE - Unfiltered. The winning edge is completely gone from his voice now. He sounds strangely empty.]

Riddle me this. What is the one thing we have all seen and will never see again?

[C - ACTION - 726 Anderson Lane / The Hall of Doom.

Whether he's sitting in the kitchen tinkering around with a strange contraption he's received in the mail or in the empty conference room of the Hall of Doom, the Riddler is uncharacteristically quiet this evening. Bother him?]

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An existence comfortably not punctuated with your riddles? [The words are vitriolic, but Schuldig's tone is, if anything, tired. He honestly doesn't even sound like he's really trying.] Is this even related to him, or is it just meant as some sort of poor conversation starter? [Because, of course, Schuldig knows what's eating Edward already. He hasn't been keeping track as closely recently, but he did at least check in long enough to get the answer to the riddle, and wound up with a little extra into the bargain.]

Would you actually have been that pleased if you were responsible? If you had driven your favorite challenge straight out of Mayfield?

If I were responsible...?

It was never my intention to drive him out. You should know that. In fact, when he first arrived, I had issued him a challenge. He's always had an irritating knack for puzzle-solving, but I wagered he wouldn't be able to solve Mayfield. Not before I could.

Though it hardly matters, now that they've taken him out before I could---

[Before he could beat him.]

I know. I'm just wondering why you were ever elated by his being gone in the first place. Even if you'd been the one to win over him, to beat him, what good does it do you having him gone?

Batman's ultimate defeat at my hands means one less challenge for me to consider. And yet another challenge that I've finally overcome.

Do you really want not to have a rival anymore? You love challenges; isn't he the greatest one you have?

Victory may be the aim of the game, but once you finally beat him, the game's over. Do you want to win, or to keep playing?

I can't say. But I'm not in the mood for that sort of question at the moment. Rather... I just wanted to know you were alive and still keeping your mind. It would appear you are.

Good.

...of course. This town has yet to stop me.

... I am pleased. But there have been casualties of late.

Many just after the strangeness at the end of last month.

So I've noticed. Knowing this town, I'm sure they'll bring in just as many captives to replace them, if not more.

We must destroy it. As soon as we can. This is too cruel.

We will. We will find the answers this place has been keeping from us.

[Surprisingly Luke isn't working on any puzzles at the moment. His last conversation with Papa Nigma got him started on a brand new project, a project in the shape of a box tucked under his arm.

But the contraption catches his attention, and he walks over to see what the Riddler is working on.]

What's that?

[The box in Luke's hand catches his eye.]

I could ask you the same thing.

[If Edward looks close enough, he can see the word "magic" on the box.]

It's uhm...well, promise not to say anything to Slugger or miss Susan? It's sort of a secret project.

Edited 2011-11-13 03:39 (UTC)

[Eddie can get behind secret projects. Luke, you evil little genius, you.]

Scout's honor.

Our conversation from that Halloween party gave me an idea.

[With an almost evil grin, Luke places the box on the table.

It's a magic kit.]

I thought if I was going to learn more about the secrets behind Houdini's tricks, I ought to start small first.

[Aka this is really just an excuse to try learning magic.]

[Well, it might not be some kind of death-dealing contraption, but magic kits are still pretty cool in Edward's book.]

Not a bad way to start. Have you learned anything so far?

I just bought it, so I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.

But it's pretty neat, isn't it?

[He's itching to open that box and try out all this cool magic stuff.]

[And once the box is opened, Edward will remove a deck of cards, moving his Enigma Machine to the side so that he can shuffle them neatly.]

This certainly takes me back.

[Luke watches him shuffle with interest.]

Do you know some magic tricks yourself, Mr. Nigma?

I picked up a few things here and there, back when I worked at the carnival all those years ago.

Wow! You worked at a carnival? Can I see some of these tricks then?

Of course. [Bear in mind, though, that Eddie was a bit of a swindler back when he worked at the carnival. But he'll put on a mild trick for Luke after he finishes shuffling the deck.]

Pick a card.

[Luke nods and reaches to pull a card out of the deck, being careful not to reveal the card.

It's a ten of diamonds.]

Okay! Now what?

Place it back into the deck.

[He parts the cards halfway, allowing a spot for Luke to place the card back into the deck.]

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