theansweris | DUPLICITY: IC INBOX

Riddler hums and doesn't look, still watching the city. "We didn't ask. Oswald... is like a non-Newtonian fluid. The more you push, the less far you get. You just let him do it at his own pace."

Oswald will tell him. When he can't take not sharing it. Oswald loves sharing a good secret at the right time.

Riddler takes the drink, looks at it and looks at John. His expression clearly says "Really? Really?" though he stays silent on the subject of the drink for now.

"No, but he expects me to try and murder him. Which is not great."

"Oohh, so it's a waiting game, is it? You do know him best, hmmm..." he continues to listen with an uncommon look of pointed concentration and lucidity. Secrets, eh? Something to use there, maybe...

"What if... you had a secret, too? A big one? Just thinkin' out loud here... but you think maybe he'd crack quicker if you had something on the down low, too?" his fingers strum along the angular line of this chin; it's just a thought, while he has met Oswald, the guy's not easy to get a read on. He seemed... emotional, fidgety, like he was trying to play cool but flipping his burgers inside. Unpredictable. John respects that; he's just not sure what to do with it yet. Maybe if he could just try and push the guy off a roof or something...

Riddler's expression in response to the drink only earns him and extremely eager and overtly proud smile in response; the glee in his grin shuts his eyes and he flashes a friendly and affirmative thumbs up.

"Eventually he's gonna realize that's not true; you don't gotta do anything about that for it to change at some point... but who likes the boring ol' senic route, anyway?" his buddies are upset here, as much as Oswald is probably ( hopefully ) smart enough to figure that much out, John doesn't exactly wanna loaf around waiting for that to happen, either.

"No."

That's not how Oswald works and it's not how they work. Riddler hates secrets, because he likes bragging a lot. Oswald might be provoked into sharing with bribery or coercion, but it will plant resentment and no one can hold a grudge quite like Oswald can. Riddler's revenge is complicated, but not usually overly delayed.

Oswald, he suspects, will wait years if he has to to avenge his mother's murder. And will savour every moment.

"He knows it. But he doesn't, ugh, feel it yet." Feelings. Disgusting. "We're going to the Rubies party, him and me, with my friends Cinder to escort us. The Rubies are very pro marked, but also female dominated. It seems safer to be able to claim spoken for." Or something like that.

John shrugs casually when his idea is discarded; he was just spit-balling, and obviously Riddler's got a far better read on things than he does.

"You guys being, well.... you guys, I probably couldn't think of anything you didn't come up with first... probably," that is to say he's not going to quit puzzling about it. He wants to help. It's almost, almost like he needs to.

A briefly disgusted wince crosses his face in a mirror of Riddler's distaste, because yeah, feelings. A long sigh deflates him and he melts backwards like a liquid until he catches himself on his elbows. His head rolls back with a frustrated, petulant groan and he mutters "I hate waiting." As though to say it's something Riddler and Eddie ( and thus John, vicariously ) are all going to have to endure.

"Unless you got some genius plan? And, hey-- it's probably a good sign that he's willing to see you again, right? And what'dya mean 'spoken for'?" because who doesn't entertain multiple trains of thought at once? Certainly not this guy.

"Oswald will move at his own pace. He always has. There's no point pressing, he'll just get irritible and he still has my switchblade." And while Riddler is quite capable of ignoring pain, he'd rather not have to. And Ed is not so inured to it.

"Spoken for... oh the Rubies are very Submissive dominated and female dominated. A party like this? Best to come with company and Cinders has business with them anyway. Oswald wants to meet the Madame, and I'm just curious."

"So you gotta wait, meaning I gotta wait, vicariously. Doesn't he know how rude that is?" considering his odd psychosis surrounding behavior he perceives as rude, it's a rather tepid statement; honest, shallow irritation, sparse exasperation, largely a teasing sentiment.

"Wait, he took your knife?" give him like two point five seconds to clamp down on that small spike of irritation. Excuse me, John did that first, thank you. He covers his mouth for a few unnecessary coughs, using the brief stolen moments to correct his tone and expression. "You want me to get it back for ya, buddy? Or was it some kinda romantic gesture?" he wiggles his eyebrows and his grin shifts sharply towards teasingly approving and affectionately pestering. Hey, he doesn't wanna step on any toes, okay? Playing with another guy's knife can mean things!

"Hold on--" as one train of thought comes crashing into the other he interrupts himself, squinting glance shifting side to side as he holds his hand with his palm flat beside his mouth, as though passing some delicate information. "So you're like... pretending it's a date? Or is it a real date? With Cinders, or Oswald, or both?" Riddler might be able to guess John had something caffeinated before he showed up; there's sweet coffee on his breath if the pelting of questions isn't enough of a clue. He's also. Bouncing a bit in his spot. Probably because of the caffine, but also, who doesn't get jazzed sharing such juicy gossip? Oh Riddler, oh Eddie, what heart breakers!

"Well... I knew he took it. He was wearing my coat, the knife was in the pocket, he was completely unarmed, I wasn't going to make him wander about without a knife to his name." Oswald didn't ask, but Ed had offered to let him hang onto it until he felt more secure and Riddler... wasn't that invested in the knife to care. "It wasn't romantic, but a... display of trust and solidarity. Being here, having this mark?" He traces his own mark with a fingertip. "It's demoralising. Humiliating, especially for someone like Oswald. People have made assumptions about him, because he's small, because they think of him as effeminate, because he's delicate looking... this is another unwanted millstone."

Riddler snorts and unthinkingly takes a drink of the can, pulling a face. "I can't decide if that's brilliant or terrible. And no, not a pretend date. Or a real one. More like... socially expected plus one."

He's either masterfully hiding his jealousy now, or he's so far in denial about it that it may as well not exist. If he can fanboy over Bruce and Catwoman, he can totally fanboy over this ship, too. And besides that, the logic is so sound and reasonable that a ( secretly ) smart guy like John can't bring himself to be too upset about it. It's fine, everything's good, so what if Oz took Riddler's coat? Those explanations were all perfectly good and sound and... good.

"Right, yeah... that," he agrees, slightly awkward. "Well, hey... any buddy of yours, and all that stuff. If I can do something, ya just gotta say so," and John is a murderous little psycho but he does mean that honestly. This city doesn't even try to hide how unjust it is, so he's more willing ( reckless, even) in offering his help to any poor soul ( brave enough to approach him ) with a Sub tattoo. Especially ~~rivals~~ new friends.

"Ooooh okay, okay, I get it... it's a secret date," the devilishness of his grin and the following eerie chuckles underline the jest; he understands ( probably? ) he's just pretending not to, because hijinks. It's a pretty convincing idiot act though, and he doesn't often demonstrate his skill at putting it on and taking it off at whim but, these are his dearest buddies, after all. They already get it. "Are you gonna bring flowers? Chocolates? Better not show up empty handed, that's just impolite."

He just so happens to shift to get comfortable with his basket of mysteries atop his lap. Obviously just a random, thoughtless motion.

DUPLICITY: IC INBOX

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