plotting to unnerve her

[self_composed]

Bella finds Milliways in the moon palace instead of one of her balconies.

"Huh," she says aloud.

Then, to Alice, Libby, Elena, and Mary, and Lazarus except he autoreplies with a busy message, [Hey folks, Moonstone Palace grew a bar that I don't remember putting in, come check it out.]

Comments

[manofmyword]

"Smart cookie."

[self_composed]

"Yeah. I only had to cheat with a little magic to get into Stanford."

[manofmyword]

"Tell me, smart cookie," he says, "say I kidnapped a lady you had the hots for, and you had me locked in a room and could do annnnything you wanted to make me talk. Well, anything you'd do with half a dozen cops watching you through one-way glass. How would you play it? No cheating."

[self_composed]

"No cheating?" Bella says. "I've gotten very accustomed to cheating." She thinks. "Are the cops a threat to me, or just potentially embarrassing? My first idea isn't a problem either way, I'm just sussing out option-space."

[manofmyword]

"Batsy shoved a chair under the door before she started throwing me around. So no, not a threat."

[self_composed]

"Wait, was that the first thing she did? She didn't expend twelve seconds on saying where is the lady I have the hots for first just in case that worked?"

[manofmyword]

"Hah! Actually, one'a the cops asked me a couple questions first. Great guy. I like him. He turned his back on me, and you gotta have some balls to do that, if you're a Gotham cop." He quirks a smile. "Bats, though, the first thing she did was slam my head into the table."

[self_composed]

"No wonder you like her," Bella says dryly. "I take it you didn't answer the cop. Would you have answered... Bats? Is that what we're calling her?"

[manofmyword]

"I did," he says, smirking, "eventually."

[self_composed]

"I'm sensing there's more to this."

[manofmyword]

"Bingo. But we'll get there. You haven't told me your angle yet."

[self_composed]

"Sure I did. I would have tried asking where she was first. You want to know what step two would be if all you did was stare at me with a smug look on your face? I'd ask you what you wanted."

[manofmyword]

"Funny," he muses, "the Bat never tried that one. But let's say she did, I woulda told her... I wanted to see what she'd do."

He did tell her that, albeit on a slightly different prompt.

[self_composed]

"Well, that's less useful than some possible answers. Honestly, as long as I'm not cheating, I don't belong in an interrogation room in the first place. I'd be more useful trying to find the lady directly and letting the cops handle you. I'm very good with magic. I have no special skill at getting kidnappers to talk, relative to police officers. Especially if said kidnapper's motive is something that inconvenient, since I imagine Bats is predictable once she knows where her ladyfriend is and unpredictable until she finds out. Skewing the incentives somewhat."

[manofmyword]

"Want me to give away the twist?" he offers.

[self_composed]

"Go for it."

[manofmyword]

"The girl in question was assistant DA," he says. "She was dating the DA. I kidnapped 'em both. And after I let the Bat smack me around for a while, I told her she could find the lady at this address, and the gentleman at that one. Opposite directions, equally far away. Almost like a math problem." He grins. "And I told her she'd better hurry up."

[self_composed]

"Some combination of," Bella guesses, "they were already dead, they were rigged to get that way or close to it, they were at other addresses, they were at each other's addresses, or you'd managed to convince at least one of them that Bats was somehow at fault."

[manofmyword]

He cracks up.

"Ohhhh, sweetheart," he wheezes, "you and I could have some fun together. They were at each other's addresses, and both of 'em in the middle of great big home-brewed time bombs. I do love my fireworks. And dear, dear Batsy, well, she rescued the wrong one."

This seems like an appropriate moment for another explosion gesture, sound effect once again included.

[self_composed]

"...Did she not even send cops to the other address? Did the watching cops not go on their own initiative, even if she didn't try to send them?"

[manofmyword]

"They went," he says. "But cops only have cop cars. The Bat's better funded. I knew she'd be faster."

[self_composed]

"Cop cars are pretty fast, if they're trying," frowns Bella. "The bat costume's not expensive and unfestive enough to fly, is it?"

[manofmyword]

"Well, she can fall with style," he says, flicking his fingers dismissively. "But nah, she has some kinda custom motorbike."

[self_composed]

"Ooh. I have one of those. I could beat a cop car in it, sure. Although mine is just riddled with cheating. All right. So she tried to rescue the lady, cops failed at doing same, she successfully rescued the guy. Unhappy endings all round. What's next?"

[manofmyword]

"What makes you think there's a next?" he asks innocently.

There is totally a next.