#v:s4

[akillerconundrum]

New to the Narrows

@goldcnblood Planned Starter for Lee

“No, you don’t show me the cards, you look, and tell me yourself! Threes, I asked if you had any threes. That’s the- No, that’s a Queen. This is a children’s game, I’m sure you can wrap your head around it if you just...” Ed gave an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his overgrown mop of hair before sitting back on the stool, glowering at the chalky behemoth of a man sitting across from him. Finally, he pulled his own card out to show him, “One like this. See? One. Two. Three.” 

Grundy glowered back at the thing being offered to him, brows knit, before reaching to take it.

“No! Do you have a card like this card?”

Grundy’s stern look of concentration grew, and Ed was almost certain he could hear the swamp water sloshing around in that big bullet-battered brain of his before, surprisingly, Grundy’s eyes lit up with sudden realization. “Go... fish?” He rumbled, as though proud of himself to know the correct response. 

Ed sagged, not sure if he could believe him or not. “Alright, your turn,” He sighed, relieved at least they made it this far and helping himself to another card from the deck.

It was a slow morning, the fights weren’t due to start for hours, and what else was he supposed to do with himself until then? Loiter, he supposed. Cherry had been nice enough to rent him out that back room, the empty club was basically his living room as far as Ed was concerned. 

[akillerconundrum]

@chumpchxnge Liked a thing for a thing

Ed wasn’t sure how he felt about how nicely he was setting into that cesspit of a territory. He had been to the Narrows here and there over the years, investigating a crime scene or three back in the day, on official underground business with Oswald, scoping out the occasional safe house, but it had always struck him as not a place one really wanted to hang around for too long.  

All things considered, in retrospect, he was doing surprisingly well for himself here, though.  At least he could consider himself among the top of the bottom-of-the-barrel, although that didn’t comfort him as much as he would have liked. 

The various bars with their questionable goings-on inside had become familiar as he made his way down the block, dog fights that their new Queen had gently guided into races, the place for cards, the dice house, and the other far more gimmicky weird little games and surprises, it really proved to be an even seedier miniature little Las Vegas here, hadn’t it? With Lee appointing him in charge of the (albeit slightly tamed down) Fight Night, he now was considered one of them.  Despite the leather and spikes and grime and faint lingering smell of piss about the place, there was an undeniable sense of community brewing under her reign, one he had, admittedly, never really felt before.  Maybe it was still the brain trauma from the ice. The Riddler was gone. Maybe it was for the best-

-And maybe you’re just going to be stuck being the lackey and errand-boy of a woman who hates you, a hype man in a clown show that’s not even clever.  A has-been joke that fell the moment he got any sort of height... 

His grip on the paper bag tightened as he stopped, staring from the sidewalk up to the bar buzzing it’s happy hour sign.  

“Depression-related addictions can wait until responsibilities are handled,” he huffed under his breath, straightening his worn green coat, before carrying on to drop off the medications to the nice family that lived above it.  

He could wait at least until after three before Grasshopper Time.

[akillerconundrum]

@stagekiller liked the Thing for a thing

The gate buzzed behind him. Ed drew in a deep breath, his chest tight, electric down to his fingertips and toes as the sharp stink of the place washed over him and the reality of the situation clamped down. Arkham. 

He’d done it. 

Green flickered in the peripheral of his vision, animatedly carrying on about something, but Ed ignored him, stiffly walking across the unnervingly familiar recreational room. He didn’t know what block Oswald would be staying in, he hadn’t bothered to look. He had checked in, processed, and lead to his room in an automatic daze, as though still unconvinced this was truly happening. 

Something must have happened to him, we got his letter-

Would Lee come looking for him? Would she visit him? 

The book selection was the same meager condition they’d had years ago. Unsurprising. He took a familiar volume out, and moved to sit at a table near the wall. 

I held up my end, where is he?? That voice in the back of his head hissed.

“At least you’ll be drowned out,” He huffed under his breath, thumbing through to where he had left little riddles and puzzles written in the margins.  Some had even spurned on replies and additions by unknown strangers. “What are you even talking about?”

[akillerconundrum]

Duplicity

@keep-ycu-scfe Liked the thing for a thing.

The Narrows was ill-kept, grimy, questionably dangerous, but simple and straight forward as far as Ed was concerned.  It suited him, all things considered, at least while he... got a grip on his... delemma.  One day at a time. One match at a time. One win at a time, building himself up with Grundy’s fists in some sense of importance without really holding any actual threat or liability or power, really... but it was enough for Ed’s bruised Ego, at present.  

What else was a simpleton let loose into the wild supposed to do with himself?

The match had ended, again with a win, although the wall of chalky meat needed patching up again, left in Dr. Thompkin’s care when Ed stepped outside for a bit of fresh air, immensely pleased with himself and perhaps a drink or two too many in his system. He had reason to celebrate, after all, Lee had agreed to fix him, and the more money he brought in for Cherry, the more that helped the process- he was on a fast track to landing on his feet.  The plan was working. 

Maybe not as much of an idiot as he thought. 

Now, his little side-show, that was purely spite and fun. He wondered if Oswald had caught wind of it, yet, what his face must have looked like-

Ed stopped dead in his tracks as he stood in the dark alley, gaping at the only other soul on the street.

“O-Oswald!! I... ah-!” His paled look of panic turned to one of slight confusion as he got a slightly better look at the man, “Did you bleach your hair?”

[akillerconundrum]

@polarprotector​ Liked the Thing for a thing.( @kxngofgotham​ )

This was a bad idea, of course it was a bad idea, what other sort of ideas would he be having these days? Ed pulled down the brim of his... borrowed... hat and overcoat, what he felt was a more discrete trench coat and fedora affair to disguise his rumpled green suit, peering intently at the club across the street. 

“Now remember,” He leaned back to instruct Grundy firmly, “You wait here until I blow the whistle, alright?” He gave the metal thing hanging from his neck a couple short toots to remind the behemoth, “Then you come in to save the day, not letting anyone stop you, got it?”

Grundy nodded, he liked this game. They’d played it a few times, and sometimes he got to beat people to twitching pulps, but lately he’d be called less and less.  “Friend Ed squeal, Grundy fight?”

“It’s not- It’s louder than my voice can carry, ok? Right. Wait for the signal.”

He shouldn’t have brought Grundy, he wanted to be discrete. There was a nice sense of security in knowing he had some sort of back-up plan ready, at least. He had a solid plan. What could go wrong? 

That self-affirmed, Ed stalked his way into the Iceberg Lounge.

[akillerconundrum]

@certifiednutso Liked the thing for a thing

Ed wasn’t sure if he liked the Narrows life, particularly, but all things considered, he felt he was certainly settling into it very nicely. He and the Big Guy had moved in... what... a month ago? And he was practically running the place. Carrying a lot more responsibilities when it came to Fight Night, anyway, Cherry had been very kind, and it guaranteed him a roof over his head and pocket cash enough to live by and occasionally feed the chalky giant, never mind his weekly winnings. 

Still, Lee had made no progress, but he’d bide his time, for now. Things had become... tolerable, at least. 

Besides, there was always a plethora of new and recurring faces drifting in to the club at any given hour, mostly ones like him that didn’t mind a quick alcoholic nip to make the day pass more tolerably. 

“If you’re looking to get good seats for tonight, you’re in for a long wait, still hours before set up, kid.” He wove down the bartender with the signal for his usual. 

[akillerconundrum]

@dc-j-frost

“Sorry, friend, it’s my night off! Besides, Grundy would rip through tonight’s batch like... uh...” Don’t sweat it, push through it, the words were there he just had to find them, “A wet... thing. Lots of blood,” Ed cleared his throat, laughing off the mental misstep as he quickly dodged away from the acquaintances and headed for the bar. 

Still no progress.  The big guy was certainly making a name for himself, but no matter what tests the Doc ran, exercises he tried, nothing. But Lee seemed... optimistic. Enough to string him along, anyway. In the meantime, he needed to step up his own game. 

Whatever that game might be. He was still figuring that out. 

Cherry’s bartender knew him well by now, and he didn’t even have to say a word before the sweet green drink was pushed in front of him. Ed sighed, about to lift his glass when he needed a second look at the familiar face nearby he hadn’t seen since...

Well.

A lot of things had certainly happened. Several murders, a bout in Arkham, a rise into politics, a few more murders and several months of ice certainly had. The question was, how much had his former... associate? He wasn’t sure friend covered it. Confidant, perhaps... had paid attention to the newspapers. 

“Miss Frost? What ah... brings you to a place like this?”

[akillerconundrum]

@trapdoorbeast 

“What I’m saying is, we’ve got a good thing going here. We just have to keep stepping up our game, and it’ll all work out,” Ed huffed, giving one more good tug of the body he was dragging toward the edge of the dock. Part of a body, anyway. 

Grundy looked thoughtful- or perhaps gassy, Ed was never entirely sure with the chalky brute- as he hurled the two bodies he had been carrying over his shoulders down into the river, but at least seemed to buy Ed’s bluff. 

Well, it wasn’t really a bluff. Some sort of semblance of the beginning of a plan, maybe. Buying time until it all... came into better focus. They had jobs, shelter, a doctor, and Cherry seemed amiable enough. 

“I found a whole trunk of stuff we could use in one of the back rooms. I’ve only started to go through it, but next Fight, I bet we can put on a show like these bottom-feeders have never- what?” As he watched the evidence of their bloodsport wash away, he noticed Grundy had tensed, glancing about like a dog on alert, unsure of what he had heard.

They weren’t alone.