Oswald woke up with a blinding headache and a feeling of utter confusion. He was lying on the floor, in just his underwear, surrounded by empty alcohol bottles and partially clothed bodies.
Oswald sat up slowly, his head spinning and stomach churning, and tried to get his bearings. Oswald didn't recognise the apartment or any of the partially clothed bodies lying next to him "What the hell happened?"
Oswald pulled himself up from the floor and scanned the room for any sign of his clothes, but couldn't find any. He did however locate his best friend Zsasz passed out on the couch at the other end of the room, with two mostly naked girls draped over him. Oswald couldn't help but chuckle "when doesn't that man have half naked women fawning all over him"
Oswald managed to maneuver around all the passed out party goers and make his way over to the couch. He leant in and in a hushed whisper began to shake Zsasz awake "Victor... Victor... Come on, get up!" Zsasz squinted up at Oswald from his position "Where are we?" Oswald stood back up and rubbed his hand over his eyes "I had really hoped you knew. "
Oswald ran his eyes over his friend's body. Zsasz had some how managed to keep his pants and Oswald prayed he still had his phone "Do you have a phone?" Zsasz began to shift and search his pockets, the still unconscious girls sliding slightly off him.
Zsasz pulled out a mobile and tossed it at Oswald. Oswald barely managed to catch it and glared at Zsasz. "Damn it! It's Monday. Grace is gonna be pissed." Zsasz smirked "When isn't she" Oswald and Zsasz shared a laugh.
Oswald step-mother hated Oswald, and the feeling was mutual. She had wormed her way into his family by capitalising on his father's grief after his mother's death. She and the demon spawn she called children were the bane of Oswald's existence. She wanted his father's money and he was the one thing in the way. She had tried her best to get his father to disown him at every chance, even trying to use his sexuality as an excuse as to why he shouldn't inherit.
"True, but it was her precious Charles's birthday on Saturday and I was meant to be in attendance" Zsasz laughed "Maybe you were"
Oswald froze in horror at the mere thought and tried to remember what had occurred this weekend. He realised pretty quickly that he had no concrete memories of the last three days, only flashes without context.
Oswald remembers drinking at Fish Mooney's with Zsasz and Ivy "Why was I wearing a top hat? And did I have a cane?" then getting thrown out by one of her brutes "Butch never did like me"
He has a clear memory of snorting cocaine in the bathroom at Sirens with Babs "she should not be taking stimulants" and then for some reason they were both at the GCPD "Why the hell was I there?". Despite his clear memories of drug use and being at the GCPD, Oswald was certain neither he or Barbara had been arrested. No one in the GCPD would dare arrest a Van Dahl or a Kean, plus Barbara's ex fiance was a detective there.
All his other memories of the last 3 days were disjointed and at best flashes of images and scenes. Oswald for some reason strongly recalls seeing bottles champagne, latex gloves, a green suit and a chiffon skirt, all without context or discernible timeline.
Oswald prayed to god he hadn't show up at Charles's party in the state he was in. His father would be mortified, he had enough heart problems without Oswald causing him to have a heart attack.
Oswald glared down at Zsasz "Let's just get the hell out of here" Zsasz smiled back and got swiftly up, the naked girls tumbling to the floor with a start, and went in search of Oswald's clothes while Oswald called for an Uber.
Zsasz never ended up finding his clothes and ended up stealing someone else's for Oswald to wear"If they wanted them they should have kept them on" before they both fell into the car hired to pick them up.
After a quick search of the apartment neither Oswald or Zsasz could locate any of their other friends and had to assume that they either weren't there to begin with or had made their ways safely. The girls could always look after themselves better than Zsasz and Oswald.
Oswald had Zsasz dropped off at his apartment in central Gotham before heading to the Van Dahl Mansion, located in the outskirts of Gotham.
The Van Dahl Mansion had been the family for generations and his father was adamant that Oswald not move out. Oswald being 28 certainly didn't enjoy the constant parental involvement but he did appreciate it, especially after knowing the loss of one parent.
Oswald paid the Uber driver then crawled out of the car and headed for his front door. Before he could put his key in the door it was swung open by angry Russian woman. Olga glared disapprovingly down at the young man she had helped raise "I don't want to hear it" Oswald muttered as he maneuvered his way past her. "Your father was worried" Her accent still heavy even after 15 years of employment with the Van Dahls. His father had employed her after Oswald's mother had died, unable to look after the upkeep of the house or even care for their child by himself in his grief, and as a result she had become a surrogate mother to the spoiled only child, as well as the only one able to handle his tantrums.
Oswald just waved her off and headed straight to his room, needing proper sleep before being able to handle a lecture. Oswald smiled as he heard her muttering in Russian as he walked away.
He had staggered in and crashed onto his bed, not even bothering to remove his clothes. He rolled over, trying to get comfortable, x he noticed a green envelope on his pillow. He see grabbed the letter wondering who the hell left it here.
He opened the envelope and saw it read the following.
"what is mine but only you have?"
- R
Oswald flipped the note over but there was no further information.
Oswald could see the envelope was addressed to him at the Van Dahl address, so whoever had sent it certainly meant it for him, however Oswald could not fathom who would send such a note. Oswald, not particularly fond of riddles at the best of times, shrugged and tossed the note into his bin by his bedside table then rolled over into a comfortable position to get some sleep.
