Alien though it is, Oswald really would prefer that Ed's hand stay precisely where it is over his own. It's a gesture that makes his mind go through a few different ups and downs alongside some predictable spikes of paranoid questioning--all the what-ifs about whether something is a trick or a trap will take time to fully dissipate--but it also has a settling effect.
This shouldn't really be a surprise. Through the mayoral campaign, Ed was a thoroughly calming presence, able to apply just the right amount of pressure and clarity at just the right moments when Oswald needed to calm down, and also knowing when to be hands off when Oswald needed to be the very opposite of serene.
Tentatively, as Riddler talks, Oswald shifts his thumb in an experimental caress across the side of the other man's finger, down the length of the digit, across the elegant slope of knuckles, all with this sense that if he got even the slightest hint of displeasure that he'd stop immediately.
"He had indicated a certain familiarity with Arkham and anyone who has endured that hell hole in any form has my sympathies."
Reservations aside, this is really a question about how much Oswald trusts Ed and Riddler. It's a different question that is more about something to build than something that already exists in a fully formed state.
After a pause, he gives out a small sigh; nothing ventured and all that.
"And anyone that you would consider a true friend, I will extend the same offer to."
Maybe he can speak these feelings into existence and it'll chase off the prickly jealous insecurity. Hey, it's gotta be worth a shot, right?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2020-06-30 08:47 am (UTC)This shouldn't really be a surprise. Through the mayoral campaign, Ed was a thoroughly calming presence, able to apply just the right amount of pressure and clarity at just the right moments when Oswald needed to calm down, and also knowing when to be hands off when Oswald needed to be the very opposite of serene.
Tentatively, as Riddler talks, Oswald shifts his thumb in an experimental caress across the side of the other man's finger, down the length of the digit, across the elegant slope of knuckles, all with this sense that if he got even the slightest hint of displeasure that he'd stop immediately.
"He had indicated a certain familiarity with Arkham and anyone who has endured that hell hole in any form has my sympathies."
Reservations aside, this is really a question about how much Oswald trusts Ed and Riddler. It's a different question that is more about something to build than something that already exists in a fully formed state.
After a pause, he gives out a small sigh; nothing ventured and all that.
"And anyone that you would consider a true friend, I will extend the same offer to."
Maybe he can speak these feelings into existence and it'll chase off the prickly jealous insecurity. Hey, it's gotta be worth a shot, right?