Chapter Three: Meeting the Rogues
Today's the day! Delilah meets the Joker and another mystery rogue, can anyone guess who it'll be? This chapter is particularly long, I hope y'all don't mind. It just continued to flow and I had to go with it. I greatly enjoyed writing the banter in this chapter, I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! As always, happy reading! :)
"Delilah Davis, charmed." Delilah shook the Joker's outstretched hand, staring him in the eye and gripping tight to establish her dominance. Yes, he's killed people, tortured people, and committed more crimes than she could even count, but she had to establish that she was in charge here. Well, partially. She figured that would be the only way he and Dr. Crane would take her seriously. This assistantship was crucial to the rest of her future. If she could secure a good recommendation from Dr. Crane and show that she was able to successfully work with these sorts of patients, especially the rogues, she would surely have a permanent spot at Arkham Asylum. Her heart raced as she truly absorbed how important this moment was, but thankfully she did not let it frighten her. She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding as she finally let go of Joker's hand.
"Ya know, Doc, I didn't realize you'd bring in such a beauty. I'll have to make sure I keep my mouth shut around Harley; she tends to get jealous around beautiful women." Joker smirked, enjoying seeing the flash of discomfort in Delilah's eyes.
"Hm, that's good to know. Next time I'll have to come in dressed like a bum to ease her jealousy. Now, please, sit." Delilah said harshly, earning shocked glances from both Joker and Dr. Crane.
"There's that spunk again! Ha-ha, I love it!" Joker plopped in his seat, clutching his sides as he giggled. Normally he wouldn't take that sort of defiant language from anyone, not even Harley, but judging from the death glare he was currently getting from Jonathan he figured it was best not to push his luck.
"Perfect. Now, as I explained before, Delilah here will mainly be sitting in and observing our session. If I feel she may have a worthy contribution I'll let her make it, but for now let's proceed as if she was not here." Dr. Crane explained, sitting between Delilah and the Joker, almost protectively.
"That's no fun! I sure hope you feel she'll have something to contribute. This one entertains me." Joker said, exaggerating his speech.
"So, how do you feel your time at Arkham may be helping you so far?" Dr. Crane inquired, completely ignoring Joker's last comment.
"Oh, other than the insufferable presence of that Bolton asshole, everything else is hunky dory! I'm used to the food, I have friends close by, and I have plenty of time to think. It's every man's dream come true!" Joker laughed, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Delilah observed the interaction with curiosity. She could tell the Joker wasn't being serious the entire time. Is he incapable of realizing he needs help, or does he not want to be helped?
Dr. Crane and Joker continued with the session. Crane scribbled down notes in his notepad and looked inquisitively at the clown as he consistently dodged each of the doctor's questions, as usual. Delilah took notes as well, noting the Joker's frequent use of sarcasm, lack of eye contact, penchant for telling outlandish stories, and constant jokes. She noticed his right leg bouncing as if he had too much energy to reign himself in, along with the fact that he talked with his hands. His body language was explosive, and he seemed to talk at a mile a minute. As she listened she was unable to see any semblance of truth to anything he said. Dr. Crane asked him about his background, childhood, dreams, all the stereotypical things a therapist may ask. Halfway through the session she noticed Dr. Crane began to ask the Joker about his fears, which seemed to be a silly question to her. It seemed obvious to her that this man feared nothing, or if he did he was so far gone that he would never reveal it. She leaned over in her seat, looking intensely at the Joker, trying to figure him out. She racked her brain, trying to think of the perfect question to ask him. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she had her question.
Dr. Crane couldn't help but notice the inquisitive look in Delilah's eyes as she watched the session unfold. He knew Joker would act like this. He always did, but Crane didn't mind. These sessions were more of a formality anyway, since he always knew when the rogues would be breaking out of Arkham. Having the sessions was mostly for appearances, and so he could keep his business with the rogues contained. Finally, he decided it was time for Delilah to have her turn.
"Ms. Davis, do you have any questions for him?" Dr. Crane asked, watching Delilah jump slightly as she was broken out of her trance.
"Not many people get this opportunity, so make the most of it sweetheart." Joker chuckled, dying to see what sort of question the girl had.
"For right now, just one. Joker, why do you feel the need to lie about your past?" She inquired, rising from her seat and leaning against Dr. Crane's desk, getting closer to the Joker.
"Excuse me?" Joker bit back, shocked at her question. Even Jonathan held his breath, hoping this sort of question wouldn't set the clown off. Although he had to admit he was impressed. Even with all the faith I had in her she continues to impress me.
"You heard me. Why do you feel the need to compulsively lie about your past? For example, you've told multiple people about the origin of your scars. I believe at one of Bruce Wayne's get-togethers you told Rachel Dawes that you cut yourself after your ex-wife got assaulted by loan sharks to try to make her feel better about her appearance. Reports from goons that used to work for the late Gambol suggested that you told him you got assaulted by your father. Many other reports from Batman indicate that you told him at least three different stories. At first it occurred to me that perhaps you've suffered some sort of psychotic break that would prevent you from remembering whatever really happened to you. But over time, both in this session and from seeing your antics on television, I've seen that you're more sane than you appear to be. You want the outside world to see you as unhinged, but you really aren't. You know exactly what you're doing, otherwise your plans wouldn't be nearly as successful as they are. But what I can't grasp is why. Do you feel like you're uncurable? Are you satisfied with your life how it is now, and the air of mystery you have surrounding yourself? Is it the power over people that mystery gives you, or is it something else?"
The room fell silent once Delilah stopped talking. She held her breath, silently praying she didn't piss him off. Joker looked at her quizzically, almost as if he was studying her. She couldn't help but notice the slight twitch in his eye as he stared at her.
Jonathan watched the scene unfold with a small smirk, not expecting this to go nearly as well as it did. She's spoken maybe five sentences to him and already struck a nerve. I didn't expect her to go so heavy handed at first, especially not with Joker, but I'm so glad she did. She's obviously afraid, I can feel her fear radiating from her. But she still asked such a deep question anyway, not being able to trust whether or not he would lunge at her. The way she's able to almost effortlessly push past her fear is….fascinating.
After the most terrifying minute of Delilah's young life, the Joker finally spoke.
"Well, if you must know, if I'm supposed to have a past I'd prefer it to be multiple choice." Joker growled, obviously irritated from her question.
"Oh, did I strike a nerve? We can take a quick break if you want some more time to give me an honest answer." Delilah questioned, tilting her head to the side.
"Listen, girl. I get to make my life what I want it to be, I think I've made that obvious enough." He rose from his seat, towering over Delilah. Jonathan continued to watch, making sure Joker didn't make any moves he would regret. He sent a glare in Joker's direction, reminding him of their prior arrangement.
Delilah looked into the Joker's eyes, easily seeing the anger behind them. She began to regret her decision, but there was no backing down now. If she did it would make her look weak to both the Joker and Dr. Crane, and she could not let that happen, no matter how afraid of the Joker she was. She stood her ground and stared back at him, determined to get some sort of answer from him.
"As I said before, if I'm supposed to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice. No liabilities, no ties, and the freedom to do what I please. Besides, any good story is tailored to its audience, is it not? I wonder what sort of story you would like to hear about my scars, little Delilah." Joker continued, leaning down to study her.
"So what it sounds like to me is you have difficulty accepting what happens to you, whether or not it's your fault. You feel a need to be in control at all times, and you subsequently fear losing that control over others and, most importantly, yourself. If you control your story you theoretically control how others react to you, and you can use that to your advantage. So in order to help you, you need to learn to relinquish control. Am I getting that right?" Delilah asked, continuing to look directly in his eyes to remind him that she was not afraid of him. Or, at the very least, appear as though she wasn't, when in reality her heart was racing and she put her hands behind her back to hide how much they were shaking. Jonathan noticed this and chuckled inwardly.
"Ooooo man, doc, you really picked a good one! I could see that she was a spitfire but damn, I didn't think she'd have this much guts. It almost feels a bit foolish, not taking more caution when talking to me. But it's also refreshing. I like it. You oughta keep this one around!" Joker laughed, ignoring Delilah's question and returning to his seat, erupting in a fit of laughter.
"I think that reaction alone answers my question, Dr. Crane." Delilah looked over at Dr. Crane as he studied both her and the Joker intently, a neutral expression on his face.
Oh damn, I hope he isn't mad at me!
"I sure think it does. Thank you for your contribution, Delilah. And that concludes our session for today." Dr. Crane said just as Lyle Bolton entered the room.
"Aw really? We were just getting to the fun part! I think Delilah just might be a better shrink than you doc! A woman after my own heart!" Joker laughed as Lyle began the tedious process of restraining him. They all said their goodbyes as the session ended, Delilah exhaling a sigh of relief.
"Oh, Ms. Davis?"
"Yes Joker?"
"If anything goes awry with Harley and I need a new, ah, female companion, I'll be sure to give you a call!" He chuckled darkly, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
She couldn't contain her look of disgust and the tightening in her body as the Joker was taken back to his room. She had an eerie feeling that, if the rumors were true, he'd likely get his ass kicked by Lyle before going back to his room for that last comment.
Once the door shut Delilah slid into her seat, allowing some of her anxiety to show.
"You, my dear, did wonderfully with him. I'm a lot more impressed than I thought I'd be." Dr. Crane said, sitting down next to her.
"Thank you! I was actually pretty worried that I upset him." Delilah looked up at Dr. Crane with a satisfied grin.
"Oh no, you absolutely upset him. I could see it from a mile away. But he knew to behave, and while he was upset he was also fascinated. People don't often speak to him that way, and I think it made him both infuriated and impressed. I actually think you had a great point, one that I hadn't considered before. What made you think of that question?" He asked her, only being half truthful. He was impressed with her for asking the Joker of all people such questions, but he already knew the Joker wouldn't reveal anything else. The Joker was a man of mystery; without the mystery he lost his power. His power over others was a great source of fear for the people of Gotham, which fit perfectly with his interests. He couldn't even count how many of Joker's former thugs that he'd "experimented" with that had vivid nightmares and fears of the Joker. It truly was fascinating how one clown could insight so much fear, and it sparked his curiosity.
Delilah listened intently, relieved she didn't upset Dr. Crane while talking to the Joker. She also beamed in pride when Dr. Crane said he was impressed. Hearing a man of his intellect praise her was a huge ego boost, and made her feel a lot more confident in her abilities.
"Well, throughout the session I noticed different inconsistencies in what he told you. He gave you so many different stories about even simple, unimportant things. That made me remember the stories he's given other people. He also had a very difficult time giving you eye contact, which is a trademark key of deception. Taking all of that into account made me realize that he's hiding whatever he's been through. I know he isn't psychotic, as much as he tries to appear to be. That means he's deliberately hiding his past and true feelings. Whether it's to appear more powerful, shield himself from harm, or a combination of that I'm not sure, but calling him out on it just seemed to be the appropriate direction to go in. His reaction only made me more sure that he's purposefully hiding his true feelings, I'd just love to figure out why. His intense reaction makes me think he has a fear of vulnerability, which would be interesting to explore."
As Delilah spoke she noticed Dr. Crane's eyes slightly darken the more she talked about fear. She knew his primary specialization was in understanding fear, which she couldn't quite understand, but it still fascinated her. The idea of the Joker of all people being afraid of anything was very interesting to her and it seemed it interested him as well. She couldn't help but get a little nervous as his stare got a bit more intense, if not just a little bit afraid. She hadn't seen his eyes cloud like that before, and she wondered what he could possibly be thinking.
Look at the fear in her eyes! She's better than we could've thought! Let me take over, Jonny boy, I'll be sure she understand the game plan before the end of the night. Her fear is too much to resist, just let. Me. Out!
Not yet! This is going according to plan, and I won't let you ruin it! I'll show her soon enough.
Fine. She'll be screaming for us soon enough. I can't wait to hear what her screams sound like…
Jonathan pressed his fingers against his nose again to push back Scarecrow's crass comments. If he could hold out a bit longer and introduce her to the others it would finally be time to move forward with the plan. He certainly couldn't do all that on her first day in Arkham. He let out a deep breath as he spoke to her again, careful to repress his excitedness.
"I think you're absolutely right. Repression is his main tool, and he's certainly a master of it. That certainly explains his tone, and how flustered he initially was. I certainly made no mistake when I allowed you to assist me, child." Dr. Crane said, taking in her subsequent blush with a sense of pride.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Crane. That means a lot to me. So, who's next?"
"Edward Nigma, also known as the Riddler."
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Joker arrived back at his cell, slightly subdued with a fierce headache. Before he was brought back to his cell that shithead Lyle Bolton sedated him and allowed his goons/other guards to beat him up, presumably for the suggestive comment he made to Delilah. It was obvious that Lyle did that because he has a hard-on for the young girl, who could blame him? As he was thrown back in his cell and his restraints were removed the other rogues crowded around, eagerly awaiting the Joker's review of Crane's newest assistant. The others tended to be boring and predictably fearful of them.
"So, how was she? Did she figure you out?" Nigma chuckled from his cell, studying the bruised Joker's face with curiosity.
"How hurt you puddin'? Was it her? If it was I'll make her pay!" Harley seethed, shaking the bars of her cells to try to get out to comfort Joker.
"Shut it Harley! I'm fine, this was Lyle, as usual. But to answer your question, Eddy, she was certainly a bit more headstrong than I thought she'd be. I'm not one to reveal secrets, ya know, doctor patient confidentiality and all that jazz. But she's certainly a pistol! We're going to have a lot more fun with her than the pathetic excuses for assistants Crane's had in the past." Joker chuckled, reminiscing his session with the young Delilah.
"Did she make any moves on you? What did she say? Did she -"
"Shut it Harley, or the next time we break out I'm leaving you here!"
Harley squeaked at the harsh tone in Joker's voice and quieted down, not wanting to irritate him further.
"If she's as fun as you say she is then I'll certainly enjoy trying to figure her out! I've grown bored, I need a new play thing anyway." Edward said, lounging in his cot. "Besides, I think I'm up next. Hopefully you didn't scar her too bad and I can still play with her."
"Oh Eddy, you'll certainly have fun with this one. She's not bad to look at either, just don't stare too long. Jonathan looked like he was gonna strangle me or use his fear toxin on me every time I so much as looked at the girl!" Joker chuckled, sending a scowl at Harley warning her not to say anything about his acknowledgement of Delilah's good looks.
"Well I'll be the judge of that. I think I'm up next anyway, so we'll see how this goes." Edward said, pulling out a crossword puzzle to work on before his session. Oh Delilah Davis, how much fun will it be to solve you?
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About an hour passed since Jonathan and Delilah's session with the Joker. Jonathan spent his time writing up notes and preparing for their session with the Riddler. With their recent success with the Joker he was hoping Delilah would be that sharp during their next session.
Delilah finished up writing notes of her own and helped Dr. Crane organize his files. She eagerly awaited their session with the Riddler. The other rogues were a bit easier to predict, at least from the stories the tabloids released about them. The Riddler was, for lack of a better word, a riddle. She was always curious about him and why he was so fascinated with riddles and puzzles. He seemed a bit obsessive about his interests, but the reason why he gravitated to them in the first place was a mystery she intended to solve. Before she knew if she noticed the time; 11:00am. Time to meet the Riddler.
"Are you ready to meet Mr. Nigma?" Dr. Crane questioned.
"Of course! He's always fascinated me, so I'm actually pretty excited to meet him. I hope that doesn't sound weird." Delilah grinned.
"Oh no, not at all. He is a truly fascinating character." He replied with a neutral expression. I don't like the idea of her gravitating towards him too much. Hopefully his massive ego will be a bit of a turn-off.
They heard a gentle knocking on the door and turned their attention to the doorway as Lyle Bolton dragged in a restrained Edward Nigma. He quickly undid the restraints and gave Delilah the same warning as he did before the Joker's session, then left the room.
As Edward felt his restraints coming off he looked over at Crane and his assistant, the young Delilah Davis. He felt his breathing stop as he looked her over. His eyes roamed her curvaceous body, noticing how her tight suit emphasized her features. He looked over her soft face, icy blue eyes, and ashy blonde hair in awe. Joker implied that she was a bit of a knockout, but damn. Now I see why Jonathan was so insistent that we don't mess with her. I'm certainly going to enjoy this.
Edward smirked as he walked over to the young woman, eagerly shaking her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Davis. As you should already know, I'm Edward Nigma. At your service." He raised her hand towards his lips and softly kissed the back of her hand, not breaking eye contact during the entire exchange. He chuckled as the young girl's face slightly paled, and he noticed her heart starting to race.
"Back off Nigma. I could very easily reduce or take away your rec room time entirely. Don't push your luck here." Jonathan growled, subtly reminding Edward of their earlier agreement.
"Of course, Jonathan, I meant no offense! I wanted to be as polite as I can with the young lady." Edward said, enjoying how angry his interaction with Delilah made Jonathan. It was quite obvious that Jonathan had some sort of ulterior motive with her, or at least it was obvious to him.
"Don't worry, I'm fine! I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Nigma -"
"Edward, sweetheart. You can call me Edward."
"As you wish. Then you can call me Delilah."
Delilah let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as she sat back in her seat and watched Edward sit in his. Dr. Crane started the session and began asking Edward a myriad of questions similar to the ones he asked Joker. Edward was similarly reluctant to give truthful answers. It seemed as if none of the rogues truly wanted any sort of help, and instead found therapy as a way to bide their time before their next escape. Delilah began to take notes about his mannerisms, answers, and his glaringly huge ego. He refused to admit any sort of mistake and viewed himself as a genius with no equal. He degraded those whom he knew and worked with, calling them imbeciles that were beneath him. He truly seemed to feel as though he was above all others. Delilah inwardly rolled her eyes every time Edward gave himself another ego boost. Over time she thought deeply about what she wanted to ask him.
"So, Delilah, do you have any questions for me? I'm sure I could give you whatever answers you seek, if you're even able to ask a competent question." Edward smirked, looking directly into her crystalline eyes.
"Actually I do. I -"
"Tsk tsk tsk, first you must answer some riddles. If your puny brain can understand them, then I'll give you the gift of my answers."
Delilah seethed as Edward degraded her, feeling her body tense up. It took every ounce of willpower not to slap the entitled smirk off his face.
"Of course, how could that have slipped my mind! Go right ahead. But I'll warn you, I've always been good at solving riddles." Delilah replied, unable to hide a small bit of sass in her answer.
Jonathan chuckled as Edward stood up and moved closer to Delilah, surprised that she would let her irritation show. Edward's insufferable narcissism was affecting her just as he imagined it would.
"Alrighty then, my dear, here's the first one;
My challenge has made men throughout time stumble, I have defeated kings, left wise men humble. You see me now, but I am most often heard, and have killed men when with bullets paired.
You might break a sweat when fighting with me, but I'll exert no pressure on your body, with a direct approach you can never find victory, work laterally rather than literally. What am I?"
Edward stared intensely at Delilah as she thought through his riddle. He could have gone easier on her with his first one, but Jonathan praised this girl's intelligence, and if he wasn't going easy on her then Edward figured he shouldn't either. After about a minute she perked up and gave her answer.
"The answer, my friend, is a riddle." She grinned as she noticed Edward look confused, his right eye twitching. How could she have gotten that right so quickly?
Catching himself, Edward finally replied. "You're absolutely right my dear, frankly I'm impressed. Now here's your next one;
I can bring tears to your eyes; resurrect the dead, make you smile, and reverse time. I form in an instant but I last a lifetime. What am I?"
"A memory!" She answered almost instantly, enjoying Edward squirm as he tried to figure out how she answered his riddles so quickly. "Am I making you uncomfortable? Were you incorrect in your initial assumptions about me, or others in general, not being able to keep up with your superior intellect?" She questioned, looking him directly in the eye. Jonathan chuckled as he could tell Edward was struggling to keep his cool. In Edward's mind, the absolute worst thing was being bested by someone else, and Delilah was proving to be a more difficult person to fool than he'd expected.
"Was that your question, Delilah?"
"Oh no, just a speculation. Did you have another riddle for me or can I ask my question?"
"Yes, of course. One more. If you get this one right I'll answer whatever question you have for me. But I'll warn you, I'm not holding back. What word in the English language does the following: the first two letters signify a man, the first three letters signify a woman. The first four letters signify a great person, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word, Miss Davis?"
Delilah's face scrunched up as she attempted to figure out the riddle. She thought it through carefully, becoming more confused as time went by. Edward enjoyed the confused look on her face, and Jonathan had to admit that he did as well. It was interesting seeing Delilah work through the answer, her soft features hardened as she was deep in thought.
"Are you having a bit of trouble there, Delilah? It's okay, most people can't completely keep up with someone of my magnitude." Edward asked cockily, expecting Delilah to give up.
She ignored him, continuing to think about the riddle.
Edward continued looking at her, slightly irritated that she had ignored him. He hated being ignored.
After a few minutes Delilah suddenly perked up and smirked as she looked Edward directly in the eye.
"A heroine."
"Wha-what?" Edward choked out in disbelief.
"A heroine. That's the word. The first two letters, 'he', are the masculine pronoun. The first three letters, 'her', are a form of the feminine pronoun she/her. The first four letters spell out the word 'hero', which is obviously a great person, and, leading from that, a great woman is a heroine. I'm assuming I'm correct?"
"How did you figure that out? Are you cheating? There's no way you could've figured that out, especially not as quickly as you did!" Edward fumed, leaning in close to Delilah.
"How could I be cheating if you came up with these riddles on the spot? Maybe it's hard for you to accept, but I'd say I'm also pretty intelligent. Maybe, just maybe, I'm as intelligent as you. I know, it's shocking!" Delilah smiled as she watched Edward almost short-circuit.
"There's not - I - never mind. Arguing with you about how insultingly wrong you are is not worth my precious time. But I'm a man of my word. I'll answer your question, just make it quick." Edward bit back at her, still attempting to figure out how she solved his riddles.
"Oh of course, I almost forgot! I noticed that throughout the session you seemed to overreact when there was any perceived blow to your intelligence, and me being able to answer your riddles certainly solidified that. Am I correct when I say you fear being seen as lesser than others?" Delilah questioned, looking at him curiously. She always had the idea that his massive ego was due to some sort of fear of imperfection, but being able to meet him in person strengthened that idea.
Jonathan could hardly contain his laughter as Delilah continuously pushed Edward's buttons. He could see that she feared the Joker, but as the session progressed it became alarmingly clear that she had no fear of the Riddler. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea to not have fear of a homicidal man with a massive ego, but this was yet another way Delilah interested him.
Edward took a deep breath, using all of his inner strength to not hit Delilah as she sat close to him. He remembered his agreement with Jonathan and kept his cool. If she has this much wit and bravery, although it's very misplaced, then she may be as useful as Jonathan claims.
"Why would I fear being seen as lesser than others when I know I'm not? My time is far too valuable to be concerned with the thoughts of the idiotic plebians of this city. Maybe you're doing a bit of projection, Delilah?" Edward smirked as he knew he pushed one of Delilah's buttons.
"My question was about you, not about me. If you wanted to ask the questions maybe you should've become a therapist instead of a rogue. Now I think that answer tells me a lot more about you than it does about me, thank you Edward! I definitely enjoyed the riddles. Hopefully you'll have some more difficult ones for me next time!" Delilah answered in a sardonic tone, continuing to stare Edward down.
In an instant Edward moved uncomfortably close to her and tightly gripped her thigh, earning a startled gasp from Delilah. "I've enjoyed our little tit-for-tat here, but be mindful of who you're talking to, Delilah. It's polite to mind your tone in front of superiors." He growled, inwardly smirking at how her heart rate increased and her cheeks paled.
Jonathan was close to intervening, but he had to acknowledge the effort Edward was putting in with keeping his cool at the moment. Other people typically didn't get even half as far as Delilah did in that sort of 'tit-for-tat', as Edward called it, before dying. Besides, feeling the palpable fear radiating from her was too appetizing for him to want to stop Edward now.
Delilah simply nodded, quickly realizing she had overstepped her bounds. I hope Dr. Crane won't be mad at me! If Edward shuts down after this it'll be all my fault!
Edward leaned down to whisper in her ear, careful to not let Jonathan hear him. "Although I must say, seeing that inquisitive look on your face and hearing your sharp wit was one of the most beautiful sights I've seen in a long time." Edward whispered in a deep voice, sending Delilah's heart rate into overdrive and a deep blush to spread across her face.
At that moment Lyle Bolton burst back into the room, glaring daggers at Edward. "Time for you to go back to your room, freak." Lyle snarled before roughly dragging Edward away from Delilah and restraining him.
"Well, it really was fun! Jonathan, Delilah, I hope to see you both soon." Edward said, looking directly at Delilah. He chuckled at the shocked expression on her face as he was dragged out of the room. Dr. Crane's door was pulled shut, and Delilah was back to standing with just Dr. Crane. She let out a shaky sigh of relief as she tried to regain her composure, many conflicting thoughts swimming through her mind.
He was absolutely insufferable! How is anyone able to stand him? He even had two assistants; how is that possible? Maybe he does have a certain charm. And he certainly had sex appeal on his - no way, what am I saying?! The man is an egotistical sociopath!
"Are you okay, Delilah? I know that got a bit...intense." Dr. Crane asked, sitting next to Delilah.
"Oh I'm fine, thank you! I may have overstepped some boundaries, and I apologize for doing so. It was just so interesting to see his reactions play right into my initial impression of him." Delilah apologized, hesitating to look at Dr. Crane, worried that she had angered him.
Dr. Crane donned a neutral expression, looking at the young woman intensely. "Don't worry, child. Nigma is easily irritated, and you were right about his insufferable ego. Sometimes he needs to be taken down a peg."
Delilah let out a chuckle as she felt a wave of relief wash over her, surprised she hadn't angered him.
"So, what's on the agenda for the rest of the day?"
"We aren't seeing any more rogues, although we do have some more sessions later today. Finish up your notes, feel free to get some lunch, then be ready for more sessions at 2:00pm. Clear?"
"Crystal." Delilah smiled, feeling more and more confident that her stay at Arkham was going to be a massive success.
Dr. Crane smiled back, feeling exactly the same way.