Arkham's New Addition

[Edward Nygma]

Usually at Arkham Asylum, the high-rated criminals each had their own cell. Arkham was one of the worst Asylum's in the world, but even the staff here had the common sense not to put Gotham's supervillains in one space with other patients; unless it was for group therapy or recreation under strict supervision.

But Arkham was very low on their funding and also very low on their ammount of cells. New patients just kept coming in and there was barely and space to put them. This worsened when one of the patients pulled a little stunt in his cell by dislodging his toilet; making sure the entire west-wing got flooded over night. It would take days, maybe weeks to repair it all. And it were  reparations that Arkham Asylum wasn't able to afford..  The staff had no choice but to make the terrible decision of giving even the high-rated mental patients a room-mate. Only the extremely violent and dangerous patients were let off the hook. ... Edward Nygma was no such thing. Sure he was a famous villain.. But he wasn't as violent as some of the others.

And so it was that in the early evening, Edward was transered to a new cell. Edward was pushed inside, carrying dry clothes so he could change out of the dripping wet jumpsuit he was currently wearing. He was one of the unfortunates that was drenched because of the flood.. They also placed an extra bed in the cell. Or well.. they put a matrass down on the floor that would have to make due for the night.

The door was closed behind him, leaving the both of them in darkness apart from the moonlight coming in through the barred window. Edward stared at the other occupant in silence and didn't walk in further yet. It paid to be wary in Arkham Asylum.. Especially when he wasn't sure who he was dealing with. It was dark in the cell and he could make out a figure, but not exactly a face. From what he could see he didn't look familiar.

"Goodevening," he noted finally, testing the waters. "There was a flood in the west-wing. They are assigning us to other cells as roommates. .. Cellmates, rather. A recipe for disaster if you ask me.. But then again, Arkham is just that already, isn't it? Who do I have the pleasure speaking to?"

[Zoewilliams]

There was no welcome warning about his new visitor, the unwelcoming guest that would be here soon to stay with him. He'd had rudely snapped awake from his own personal thought just not long ago as he was laying down to rest, a guard bursting in and smacking him across the forehead to keep him knocked out as they arranged the living space by spreading a mattress to the floor. So he brushed off the pain with a smirk and hopped to his feet.

He'd been standing already when Edward walked in, his eyes fixated on the moon, the lights of its perfect sphere shimmering through of square caged view of their bared window, his back turned to his new cellmate so Edward had no such luck recognizing his face. Just the thin grim figure that stood in the way of the darkness and the faint view of his long blond overly dyed hair. With out its staining green hue, He couldn't have been recognized.

And without exactly seeing the person behind him that was speaking, he himself didn't even realize at the time that this was the famous riddler he had heard so much of. He never really paid any attention. Maybe he'd had a few run ins with him once or twice but they never really knew each other. After all, the joker didn't really have any friends, as he alway either scared them off of annoyed them to the point of killing him or theirselfs. But he knew just as much about the riddler that he wanted, or cared to know.

Hearing Ed speak, he shook his head, and an oddly familiar tone spoke past his lips in an uncertain chuckle. "I don't HAVE a name." His shoulder's shrugged through the long sweater of his carelessly unfastened straight jacket as his head wiped around, his face just barely unreconizable. If it were not for the scars and perhaps the eerie voice , it wouldn't have given him away.

Seeing Edward face however, a lightbulb popped into the poorly lit space that made up his head. His eyes brightened, shimmering with joy and delight as realization settled. Slowly he face curved and out sprawled a frantic laugh from his lips. "OH. Hi." He grinned. "Yes, you know me Mr. Riddler. Took me a moment, but I remember your the guy with the question-y thingy. That little.." He made a face, trying to move his arms and point a finger in the air to draw some sort of shape. Failing, he shrugged his shoulder and looked oddly enough disappointed to the floor. "Forgot what they called it." He pouted, then looked back over to Edward thoughtfully and grinning. "Question mark of mass destruction!"

[Edward Nygma]

That voice.. He recognized that voice.. But from where? Wherever it was, it couldn't be good. Because it made the hairs in his neck stand up and that could only be because his subconscious had picked up on something that his rational mind was yet to perceive. It didn't help he didn't have a name to give him.

Even when the man turned around he didn't recognize him just yet. It was simply too dark and the moon behind him shone too bright. But that laugh sure sent a shiver down his spine. Edward knew better than to show his fear, though.

"My question-mark cane? Or do you mean the explosives? Both some of my finest works; among other things." No one could ever claim Ed to be humble..

Edward finally took some steps closer, curious despite his bad gut-feeling. On stepping to the side, the light fell on his cheek and Edward could make out a very distinctive scar there. Immediatly it was like a bucket of ice was thrown over him. ... NO!

"You..- You're the Joker," Edward concluded breathlesly, his heart-beat picking up. "E- Excuse me."

Edward turned around suddenly and wrapped his hands around the bars of the door. "Guard!" he called out at an orderly just passing. The guard stopped and lifted an eyebrow at him. "You've got to get me out of here! There's been a terrible mistake! I've been put in a cell with the Joker!"

The guard moved closer, looking into the cell past Edward and then back at him. "I see no mistake," he told him flatly; at which Edward frowned deeply, clasping on to the steel bars.

"Wha-!? But-! But it's the Joker! He's not supposed to share a cell with anyone! He might kill me!" The guard smirked, clearly amused. "Well.. Perhaps you should have thought of that before you poked Jared's eye out and broke his leg."

Edward widened his eyes. SHIT. He knew the guards were all against him now, because he roughened up one of the guards. But he assumed that the worst would have been over after they came into his cell the previous night to beat him up. Apparently the incident hadn't been forgiven just yet.

"But he was harassing me! And you already got back at me! Please! You have to get me out of here!" The guard just laughed and shook his head. "Have fun with your cellmate, nerd. The two of you deserve each other."

The guard turned away, leaving a flabbergasted and fearful Edward behind. He slowly turned back to look at the Joker. Not only was he supposed to share a cell with this psychopath, he'd also just openly protested against sharing a cell with him in front of said psychopath.

[Zoewilliams]

"Yeah! The question cane, hehe!" He gave a wild grin, leaning back against the wall near the window. Bashfully, he looked to the floor, slight honored by Ed's shocked reaction and finally figuring it out. "Aw, you noticed? Well, gee, here I thought I was the Santa Claus guy! And they say I'M insane. HA!"

Raising a brow, hung his head down and stared over to the door through the bangs of his hair. A small frown puffed up his face as he listened. He didn't like the guards really. Hence the reason for the little jacket they put him in. But seeing his new roommate was wanting to leave already, well. That left a scar. Not literally, but it kinda hurt.

Watching the guard slink closer to the door, he shuffled a bit and shrugged his shoulders, looking up. "I can't play with you if I can't play with myself..hey mister gaurdo, can you come back in here for a sec? I think these straps need to be a little tighter!" He snickered.

As the a guards take their leave he frowned. Obviously they knew better than to be listening to him so there was nothing they could do about the straps. Damn. At least he still had the knife buried in his sleeve, but unfortunately he hadn't put any thought into how he could reach it.

Idea. He looked over to Edward. "Boy I bet that hurts huh? Anyway..oh hey? Could you help me out with something? And I'll get you out of here." A sly smile spread across his face. "See, little old me is stuck in a pickle. A pickle in a jar. And I need to get out of the jar. But first I got get out of this pickle."

Standing up and away from the wall, he wandered over to Edward and stood next to the door. "Okay." He licked his lips, eyeing around suspiciously outside of the door. "I'll need you to to undress me. Then I'll call the gaurdos and we'll make a run. You'll have to find Shyla for me though because I can't get her out myself. "

[Edward Nygma]

Edward backed off from the door as soon as the Joker moved closer to him. He was releaved to find the other was strapped in a strait-jacket and thus couldn't hurt him; but he still didn't want to move to close. He heard the Joker bit a guard's finger off once.

He huffed when the Joker suggested getting him out and escaping together. "You clearly don't know my reputation all that well, if you think I'm that stupid. I'm not giving you the means to kill me. - Besides, even if I did and you carried on with this plan, we wouldn't stand a chance of making it out of here. Escaping from Arkham required a well thought through plan. I can know; I still hold the record of most escapes on my name."

Edward moved over to his matrass then and began to take off his shirt. He really didn't feel comfortable undressing in front of the Joker, but his clothes were still wet and since Arkham's halls were always freezing, he feared he would go sick if he didn't put on the dry jumpsuit he was given very soon. To distract himself from his own discomfort and hopefully Joker from what he was doing, he switched the subject to something else.

"How long have you been in here for anyway? I'm guessing the Batman brought you in?"

[Zoewilliams]

To the joker, there was no such thing as discomfort. He was like a dog, one that always roamed around and did what it pleased, not caring if who saw it doing what or what it was doing wrong this time. So he followed Ed, obviously not catching on to the uncomfortable vibe he had been giving and uncaring of invading his personal space, and he rather unexpectedly flopped to the solid ground of the mattress. It seemed he attempting everything in his power to make the situation awkward and annoying with out even trying.

"Hey-o! That's one of those don't ask don't tell things right? I'm mean..you don't see me talking to you about what your in for...I'd hate to assume it was some elaborate plan gone wrong but hey everyone makes mistakes right?" rolling around, he finally managed to get off the mattress and onto the floor, where he managed to struggle himself up into a sitting poison. For the joker nothing was impossible in a straight jacket. He had proven himself to be very flexible in the past...oh hey wait..

"Batman." He huffed, blowing a long strand of hair out of his face. The word had stuck a huge nerve. "That bat flying rat rodent. Ah..well. I guess you could say he brought me in." Face flushing, he looked away. "I hate him."
This wasn't quite true. There was obvious history between them. Batman and the joker.
Really, the whole reason behind him being behind bars was...well it was batman's fault.

Looking back over to Edward, his face scowled with pure rage. He let out a slow distorted laugh. "Batman of all people..wow. You think a guy would have some nerve? Bitch never once returned my calls! I killed six preachers and a puppy just for that one phone call. Oh, and what's the thanks I get out of all my work and appreciation? Ha, hes such a spoil sport, ruins the fun out of everything!" Eyes boiling, a smile spread across his lips. Leaning down backward, he started to roll around the floor. An every day routine to make the world think they had finally broke him.
"He DID put me here. He always puts me here. And when I get out I'm gonna get him."

[Edward Nygma]

Needless to say, he wasn't too pleased with the Joker flopping down on his mattress. But there was little he could do about; especially since he was in the process of taking out his pants and putting on the dry jumpsuit. The comment on how everyone made mistakes got to him though, as was apparent when he hissed back.

"I did not make mistakes! My plan was perfect! It would have worked exactly as it should, if it wasn't for the Batman cheating with that utility belt. He was supposed to try and solve the deathtrap to get out and fail; not use his grappling hook to break it!"

He huffed as he zipped his jumpsuit closed and crossed his arms. He felt like sitting down on his bed but he wasn't going to do that as long as the Joker was on it too. When the Joker told him he hated Batman, the Riddler merely huffed. "Tell that to the other hundreds of inmates he locked up in here. We all hate him. You're no exception."

Except that perhaps.. Edward didn't entirely hate him either. He did occasionally. And yet.. He'd saved the vigilante's life more times than he could count and vice versa.

"You don't have to tell me.. Honestly, you don't." He'd much rather have the Joker shut up right now. He was getting on his nerves. At least he started to roll around over the floor though, leaving Edward with the opportunity to claim his matrass and sit down on it; resting his back against the wall.

"..And if anyone's going to get to him; it will be me."

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