theansweris | DUPLICITY: IC INBOX

"Certain places tend to be the same. Most Earths have a New York City, for example. But Metropolis, Central City, Gotham, those tend to be pretty hit or miss despite all being major cities in my world." He gives a half hearted shrug.

"I didn't grow up in Gotham. I grew up in a... um, podunk town with a main industry of going somewhere else to work."

"I haven't found anyone that's ever heard of Henrietta Virginia, and I just assumed it's because it's that small of a town but never thought that it might be there just isn't one either."

Which is as odd to think about as just about anything else here.

He snorts at that, kind of smiling. "That could be Henrietta."

"Except I'm from New Jersey." He didn't often talk about it, in case people got it in their heads to look him up. "Ugh. Enough about that. Both are possible. It might not exist, it might not be worth mentioning. I just know about that possibility because in my world, Gotham is a major city. Highest crime rate in America."

He chuckles at that. "Yeah, that's a million light years from the mountains of Virginia."

It really feels a whole other world in his mind.

"Highest? Wow. I guess that pretty much sucks then. I mean, the image in my head is crime all the time, no way around it. Like always around you."

"The primary economic activity of Gotham is organised crime," Ed agrees. "On any street, any time of day, you will see at least four offences being committed."

Yes, he sounds ridiculously fond of the place.

He winces because that is not something you want said about your town. "So this place? Better or worse? Or just different?"

Because he thinks of his place as pretty dangerous and bad, but that is another story with the idea of organized crime running a town.

"Worse. There, even if the odds were against you, even if the system was against you, you weren't subjected to public rapes at the hands of the government because you have a line they drew on you."

Gotham is a hard knock city, but it recognises and rewards persistence.

"What I figured," he says, tensing at that. Thinking about Ronan and Noah and all they face and how much he wants to do all he can to protect them.

Chainsaw reacts to his emotions, screeching loudly next to his left ear. He doesn't so much as flinch at the sound, muffled as it was against that ear. Instead he reaches up, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I think about things like that every day," he admits, despite not bearing those marks. "My boyfriend and our good friend are both here. Both of them have that mark."

Riddler shies from the noise, like it actually hurts rather than being scared of it.

"You're not safe either," Riddler says quietly. "Write into any contract that you reserve sole right to punish your submissive," his lip twists on the word, "for any indiscretion or breach of rules and laws. It won't always work, but it should help."

"Sorry. She gets loud sometimes." It's why he carries her on the left, so he forgets how loud it is to others.

"I know. I've never been safe," he admits. "So I'm used to it." Ronan had thought he was. At least until he was a teenager. Noah had until he'd been murdered. "I'm not taking a lot of chances, just a few." Like a close friend and lover who was another Dominant.

He nods at that. "I put a clause in the contract like that. Someone said they wouldn't always but it's worth trying, right?

"It will stop things some of the time," he agreed. "I'll contact you if I come up with anything suitable for her. I have work in half an hour and I need to start off now to get to Insincerity before then."

"All we can do, I guess," he says with a nod, smiling as he takes a step back, giving Chainsaw a moment to resettle.

"Thank you. I appreciate you meeting with me and giving me ideas. She got snatched here too and I just want to make sure she's doing okay."

Of course she was manifested out of nothing but that's neither here nor there.

"I'll let you know." Riddler waves a hand. "When I have something. If I get something. In the mean time, ropes, knots, nuts and bolts." He stretches and starts off back towards the elevators.

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