tntandgasoline | [RL - Harvey, Joker, Crane and Edward

It had been some time since he dragged himself back to the pit - he wasn't entirely sure what to call it nowadays. 'Lair' sounded like something out of a cartoon villains arsenal, 'home' was too bitterly sarcastic to use more than once a week. Harvey opened the door without much pomp, pulling off his hood and glancing up when something of an unfamiliar figure in the house caught his eye.

"Crane." He greeted as he took the hoodie off and threw it to the side. "Gracing us with your company are you." he commented as he closed the door and walked further in, partially suspicious of the good doctor, or at least enough to glance the room over as though some trap was going to be sprung.

He couldn't help it. He was fascinated. Addicted, maybe, to this new world. These new ideas. It was a rebus of a conundrum; sometimes the parallels between his Gotham and Other Gotham were mind-bogglingly uncanny, and sometimes the avenues of reduplication veered off into unfathomable places. Edward couldn't help it, he was just so intrigued. Call it a flaw.

Edward followed the directions well enough--after all, he had already been around these parts, thanks to darling Harvey's previous invitation--but he ventured onwards with a nagging sense of anticipation. The likes of Jonathan Crane and the Joker were not to be provoked, as Edward had learned from observation, and yet the detective was willing to insert his naturally ~~irritating~~ compelling self into such exotic company. Again.

"New opportunity, Eddie. Keep reminding yourself of that," muttered the green-clad man under his breath as he ratta-tat-tatted upon a door that could only be complimented as shabby-chic. "Honey, I'm home."

Crane himself looked like he'd been there a while, not bothering to acknowledge Harvey as he came in, addressed him. He gave an affirmative noise, flipping the page of his book.

The place looked cleaner at least; he'd taken the liberty to tidy some because it seemed no one else would, let alone seemed to care about the potential hygienic risks involved in this dump.

"Door," he muttered just before the knock sounded, making no move to get it himself.

Harvey glanced as the knock sounded, suspicion rising steadily now. Crane and a visitor. He didn't like this already.

In a stride he was back at the door, opening it to reveal their guest and all his green clad glory. Harvey lifted his brow, looking Edward over a moment before turning and walking back into the house.

"Why are you here?" He asked the general assembly, expecting nothing from Crane and a long winded ramble from Edward. It balanced each other out well.

"So hospitable, Harv," admonished the private investigator. He toed the door open farther, carefully taking a few steps into the humble abode. "When is a door not a door?" Murmured Eddie, but mostly for his own benefit. It was doubtful that Harvey would appreciate such a fine question.

Completely ignoring Harvey's query, Edward strode in, seeking sight of either Joker or Crane. What could he say? He was curious. As Eddie caught sight of a figure immersed in literature--obviously Crane--he balked.

"Odd. You're certainly more, ah, aesthetically pleasing than your counterpart. Doctor Crane, I presume?"

He looked to him sharply, eyes nearly as cold as the rest of his demeanor. He didn't care to answer that, it was painfully obvious.

"You didn't answer my question." Harvey answered as he walked further into the house, returning a moment later sans tie and walking past to the kitchen.

"Gin right?" He asked offhandedly as Nygma spoke to Crane. He was beginning to suspect their scarred friend was behind this - with the Joker it was best to just buckle down and try to ride out the storm. Fighting against it just amused him more.

Edward's amused grin simmered into a sneer as the other man's visage maintained its chilled look. Turning his attention to the prospect of alcohol, Eddie flashed Harvey a charming smile.

"Yes, on the rocks if you will," he requested as he strolled to hover by Dent. "And I was invited, if you really must know. Aren't you pleased?"

"Your ego is suffocating me, Eddie," Crane remarked from afar, "Turn it down, please."

... So he may be taking some sport in attempting to knock Nygma down a notch, he really couldn't help himself. He had nothing else to contribute until Joker returned, at least-- or cared not to contribute until he knew why they were all here in the first place.

He looked to his watch, a brow dropping. Typical he'd be the last one to show, too.

"Ecstatic." Harvey answered, returning with the drink (not on the rocks) and handing it to the man before sitting down with his own. "Why did he invite you?" he asked, not bothering to clarify who. They were both such fucking geniuses after all, they'd do just fine.

“Maybe I’m doing humanity a favor,” Edward retorted to Crane, his lips twisted venomously. “But apparently you’re not very good at suffocating, if you can still talk. Hint.”

At the very least, it was oddly comforting to know that Edward’s knack for bickering is universal with all known Cranes. Felt like home. His attention resumed aiming its focus on Harvey and the lawyer's gift of alcohol--not on the rocks? That duplicitous bastard--which came at a most welcomed moment.

"Because he likes me," smirked Edward. Because he wants to toy with me was more likely, and Eddie knew it, but damned if anyone could get the man to admit such a thing.

Despite himself, he smiled, just slightly, closing the book he'd held.

"He invites us because he wants something from us-- It's obvious that's to work together, to achieve one of his inane goals," he hesitated, then finished, "Or he wants to play a board game and we're the only ones that will tolerate him, who knows."

"I guess the better question then is why you bothered coming." Harvey commented, downing a good deal of his drink rather expertly for having half his mouth exposed. "I'd say fear," he sat back. "but analyzing is your territory doctor." He assumed Edward would cite curiosity - and not be far from the truth.

His eyes widened at Harvey's remark as Eddie downed the remainder of his gin.

"Tactful," spat Riddler. "Mentioning that motivation in front of the self-proclaimed Master of Fear here." He jerked his head in Crane's direction, as if there were any other Scarecrows running about. Well. In that particular room, at any rate.

As the detective seethed, he wondered exactly how much he should give away. Joker's surface intentions were clear enough, but what of his more subtle motivations? Best thing was to play the innocent, just in case.

"Curiosity," Eddie fulfilled Dent's prophecy easily enough. "I was invited, and I want to know why."

"If I didn't come, he would've come to get me and I'd like to avoid the hassle," and he honestly did believe that, especially after recent events. He didn't care to test his patience, on top of that, there was a lot to lose at this point.

A brow quirked after Eddie finished, setting the book aside.

Harvey accepted Crane's answer without comment - certainly true enough. Just try to ride through the storm.

Edward's though, that made him glance over. "You amuse him." Harvey answered simply. "If he gets information out of you it's just an added bonus." He leaned back. "Or would your Joker have different reasoning?"

"I expected nothing less," he replied, perhaps a bit bitterly. Regardless of Joker's intention, Edward had his own to obsess over. Therein lurked his overall vision, after all. Adjusting the ends of his purple gloves, Edward shrugged in his vaguely nonchalant manner. No use revealing unnecessary clues now.

Staring Crane down, Edward curled his mouth into a sarcastic sneer.

He was entirely unflappable, giving no indication of amusement or disgust-- though his initial reaction may of been the latter.

He just smiled.

It was then that the Joker half kicked, half shoved the door open, slamming it behind him with his foot. His arms were weighed down with a multitude of plastic bags, filled with various take-out boxes of different sizes and shapes, as well as a few bags of liquor, juice, plasticwear - it looked as though he had just gone ransacked both a restaurant and a supermarket in one fell swoop. (He hadn't, but it was a possibility.)

He barely even acknowledged the three others in his vicinity, too busy - well, it looked like he was talking to himself, except for the expensive little bluetooth receiver on his ear.

"I don't - I told you to just follow them and -- I want to stay in tonight, Bozo, I really do, but if you need me to rub your nose in your fucking mess-!"

He dumped the bags on the table and waved dismissively at all three of them, stalking off to another room where he erupted into a screaming fit, like a toddler whose favorite toy had been taken away.

He returned after a moment, bluetoothless and grinning wide. "Sorry, I'm a little, uh, late. Harvey, I forgot to mention we were having company. Sorry."

For the record, he didn't look sorry at all.

Harvey glanced over as the clown entered, eyes narrowing dangerously for a moment before he he turned to the window as if in some semblance of control. The look was perfected by the time the Joker reentered.

"What a shame, I would have broken out the good china." He replied dryly as he stood from his chair.

"I hope you mean that literally. It would have made quite the spectacle," murmured Eddie. His gaze drifted to Joker, whose dramatic entrance warranted its worth in attention.

"My, my, my. Having an interesting time, I see." The Riddler strolled a few steps in Joker's direction, subconsciously wavering with a distance kept between them. Eddie was a wary man, in all levels of awareness. "I hope you got pad thai."

Crane just watched with some veiled interest, making no effort to move from his seat. Let them flock, he had no reason to indulge him.

"We have good china?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Harvey before shrugging and setting his sights on their new guest.

The Joker loped towards Edward, throwing an arm around his shoulder and gesturing over towards the table. "I don't know much about Thai food, really, more of a, y'know, traditional kinda guy, burgers and all that..." He gave Crane a wide grin before continuing, "But I told them, uh, to just give me everything they had. I think they did - if we're missing any dish you like, I'll make sure that won't happen again. Help yourself, Eddie, nice to finally meet you~!"

With that settled, he practically leaped from Edward to Crane, half falling into his lap with a little bounce. "Dollface, it's been forever. I, uh, missed you at breakfast. Thanks for coming to dinner, you're such a sweetheart."

Harvey didn't bother answering, crossing his arms against his chest and leaning against one of the walls as the Joker went to and fro. The attention on Crane made him lift his brow, more amused than his deadpan expression let on as he glanced back to Edward, leaving the two to bicker or seethe quietly as he was sure Crane would soon be doing.

"I was wrong, there is an Elliot here." He said after a moment, not sounding very sorry for his unfortunate mistake. "Hasn't been in Gotham for years."

Edward took the Joker's embrace in stride, tilting his head in good humor. No need to offend his generous host, after all. Whatever sour effect Crane had on the detective vanished in an instant as Eddie laid eyes on the curious creature of chaos.

How different. The scars were most eye-catching; his Joker's signature smile was quite different. And yet, both managed to impose a chilling effect. How curious indeed.

"You're too kind, really," Eddie replied, amicably patting Joker's well-tailored back. "And I'm charmed."

But then Dent had to open his double-crossing mouth. Edward scowled at lawyer, his color diminishing into a stark pale within seconds. An Elliot, here in this world? Fucking hell, was there no end to this misery?

Crane most likely went some shade of white as Joker sat in his lap, though he made no move to accept him or push him away, just glanced away with a look akin to an irritated cat.

He glanced to Harvey almost imploringly. Almost. Then to Edward who suddenly looked sour-- Oh? "Who's Elliot?"

The Joker grinned merrily back at Crane, tilting back to look at Edward from a half-upside down angle. His eyes glanced from his newest pal to his oldest with only a mild brow-scrunch to show any irritation.

"Harvey, if you're going to upset him, the least you could do is help him get out all the food. This is supposed to be a nice double-date sorta scenario."

He added, rolling his eyes, "Is this, uh, Elliot the same sort of guy you'd warn little old me about, Nygma? Because I'm not impressed by the name."

Harvey glanced back over at Crane, something of irritation spreading on his face as he turned, hand shoving in his pocket. His fingers brushed against the char and he very nearly rolled his eyes before walking over to the bags.

"Then be a good host and get off Crane to get your own damned food." Harvey answered in something of a growl, pulling out a carton of some warm and decent smelling food before tossing it over to the Joker, giving him a sharp look.

"Thomas Elliot. His family used to be in league with the Wayne's apparently. Hasn't been around for nearly two decades." Harvey answered as though Edward were not even present. "He and Nygma have some issues in their Gotham."

Edited 2009-02-26 08:51 (UTC)

"Yes," Edward's reply to Joker's query was curt. He was visibly uneasy, running a hand through his hat-lacking hair, and it didn't appear that the topic of conversation was about to switch any time soon.

Edward allowed Dent to carry on the in depth explanation (well, relatively so, to Eddie's own) without volunteering any additional insight. He sulked over to the food, seeking his requested pad thai and cornering off his expression in the process. The detective was more wary of Crane's reaction; Eddie hadn't had a chance to analyze that one properly enough. Who's to say this Crane wasn't more sadistic than Eddie's version? It was too much a risk.

The Joker fumbled for the carton, giving Harvey a dirty look as he half-rolled, half-climbed out of Crane's inhospitable lap. "My pleasure. He's too bony."

Giving Edward a long, curious look for a minute, he then shrugged and went to sit at the table, digging out a set of disposable chop sticks. If anything, he was authentic.

"Well, if he's not here, then he won't interrupt our family dinner, now will he?"

Harvey took a seat again, ignoring the look the Joker shot him for his 'request' and glanced over to Edward. It was both satisfying and troubling, those reactions. This dual universe was turning out to be nothing but trouble.

"Wouldn't that be a shame." Harvey snorted, grabbing a carton of some exotic food or another to examine.

Edward seethed, watching Harvey and Joker with great care. Joker, it seemed, was backing off--or hiding his fangs--but Harvey... Well, lawyers were always difficult, weren't they? Crane wasn't much of a concern to the outsider as of now, so Eddie ignored the lanky shrink.

Slapping Harvey's back--maybe a little too hard--Edward tried to guide him out of the way so he could get some damn duck sauce.

[RL - Harvey, Joker, Crane and Edward - oh, yeah, this is gonna end well]

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