Chapter 55
Oswald hobbles through the Royal Flush Casino. Gambling has never really amused him, not that he'd ever try it. He has enough vices as it is. Speaking of vices, Trixie, Trixie, Trixie. How he'll enjoy winning her. Of course, he couldn't do it without ceremony. No, this needs to be an occasion. After all, it'll symbolize victory over his weakness that has so far done nothing but drag him down. And yet, she has helped him in the past. But even so, in helping him, she's become a weakness, because, as much as he hates to admit it, he cares. He cares whether she lives or dies, and that's a dangerous position to be in. Someone could easily hold her hostage to get his attention, and they would succeed. So that's why it must be him, he must he the one to kill her, no one else. After all, it's the only way that he, outcasted, demonstrative Oswald, could ever win someone like her.
He turns the corner, and spots Raoul Morgan pushing around a large cart of cleaning supplies. Perfect.
Hiding behind one of the flashy slot machines, Oswald looks on as he makes his way into an employee only room. Catching the door with his hand, Oswald peers in to make sure that he's alone.
"Raoul...what a coincidence," he makes his presence known, closing the door behind him and standing in front of it.
He whips around, shaking in terror, "P-Penguin! You're...alive?! And what, what are you doing here?!"
Oswald chuckles, "I...was in the neighborhood, and I thought to myself: why not visit, my old friend Raoul? See how his new job's been going."
"Just get to it, Penguin, what do you want?" the name cuts like a knife, but words mean little right now, now he's the one with the knife.
"I need a favor," he prepositions, slowly walking toward him, "you're familiar with the underground tunnels below this facility? The ones that Falcone's men use to transport their...assets, hmm?"
"Ye-yeah, why?"
He steps closer, looking up at the taller Raoul Morgan who is cowering in fear. He loved the idea that someone who, once upon a time, would've physically intimidated him, now shakes in fear in his presence. He takes it in for a few seconds, allowing himself to enjoy the moment.
"Well, a couple of friends of mine are looking to...pay the casino a visit. I thought I'd provide them with the VIP entrance, seems only appropriate, right? Think you can do that for me?"
He nods, "Sure, sure, whatever. Just-just get out of here!"
Now having cleared the space between them, Oswald rushes him, wielding his pocketknife and pointing it directly at Morgan's throat. He begins sobbing, fearing that these will be his last moments. Oswald chuckles, wild eyes flashing as he mocks him, "It was wonderful seeing you again, Raoul."
Backing off, Oswald puts the knife back in his pocket and steps out of the room, closing the door behind him. He's unable to hide a malicious smile as he walks out of the casino, various customers staring him down for his unusual grin and limping gait. Let them look, let them know that Oswald Cobblepot is a man of confidence, of importance.
The front lobby man is listening to the radio when Oswald catches what's being played. A news reporter rapidly fires off a story about a police raid on a warehouse down by the water.
"And we're just getting reports that the raid was unsuccessful. The officers are dispersing from the building as we speak. According to sources, at least one officer is missing, a rookie officer by the name of Natalie Ka...Kawa…I'm sorry, but I just can't pronounce this last name."
Oswald's eyes widen. Trixie! How could this happen?! He shakes his head, no, no, this is exactly what he'd been fearing. A pain in his chest rises up as he tries to repress the emotions that unexpectedly come rushing forth. He should be glad, she's out of his way, possibly for good. But no...she's his to kill, not some no-name kidnapper. He needs to save her, yes, this may actually work to his advantage. He could come swooping to the rescue, just like the heroes in the books and the pictures. And she'll be grateful, so, so, grateful. She'll beg to be in his arms, her hero, her savior, and he justs imagine the delicious look of horror and betrayal on her face when he turns on her, slays her with the swift, strong stab of his knife. Yes...oh, this is perfection!
The reporter spouts out an address, the building is across town. He needs to get there quickly, can't have someone else stealing his thunder, or his girl.
When Ed and I step outside, I'm speechless as bright sunlight hits me. Gotham looks more like Metropolis with tall, beaming skyscrapers and a clear blue sky. Cars of every color and size zip past, and the streets are full of people crossing to-and-fro. Ed takes my hand, and leads me down the crowded street. Everyone is so happy, no dark alleys, no homeless sleeping out on the street, no suspicious characters. Is this really Gotham?
Ed and I walk up to a familiar local, a small nightclub entrance with a neon fish. In front, a pale man with dark hair sweeps around the doorway. He looks up as we approach, and he gasps.
"Hello, lovely couple!" Oswald turns around, his voice bright and chirpy.
I barely recognize Oswald, his black hair gelled down and swept to one side, his dark suit exchanged for a far more casual hoodie and jeans. He runs over and hugs the both of us, his arms barely able to encompass the both of our bodies.
"Morning Oswald, how's business been for you?" Ed asks.
Only in my dream would Oswald and Ed know each other, much less get along. This is absolutely preposterous.
"Oh good, Jack and I have been running the club just fine. You two should like, totally visit some time, drinks on me."
...when has Oswald ever said "totally"?
Ed smiles, "Oh, that sounds great. Speaking of Jack, how are you two?"
"Doing well. He's off in Central City on his comedy tour, so I've been spending the nights alone," his expression suddenly becomes mischievous, "maybe I could hop in with you two to pass the time-"
"Okay, moving on!" I cry, "...uhm...Ed and I have to get to work. See you later Oswald!"
Oswald pouts, "Awe, leaving so soon? Fine, but first: hugs!"
He scurries over, hugging Ed first, the awkwardness of their embrace only intensified by their height difference. I try to hide a look of horror as he next approaches me, arms outstretched. My arms reluctantly open up and allow him to hug me. He squeezes me tight, holding his cheek to mine, and my nerves increase as he holds me in a hug for what could be considered an inappropriately long time. Just when I think he's about to let go, he tilts his head to the side and methodically licks my cheek, "Trixie…"
Pushing him off of me, I grab Ed's arm and pull him away. Something's definitely off about Oswald, Ed too. If this is my dream, why aren't the people in it acting like they do in real life? ...okay, maybe not so much Oswald.
"Woah...what's going on Natalie?" Ed asks as I lead him through the ideal Gotham City.
"Oswald would never outright suggest a threesome, at least not in public. And you two would never get along! And besides Ed, what's with you? Where's your complex vernacular? You've never been afraid to express how intelligent you are, in fact, you revel in it!"
He laughs, as if I were telling a joke, "Natalie, I have no idea what you're talking about."
On impulse, I smack him across the face, backhand slapping him and sending his head back.
"You're not real! This is all a dream! My life is a dream! And it seemed nice at first, but now, I want out!"
Ed backs off, a look of surprise on his face, his mouth slightly ajar. At least that's something he'd usually do.
"Natalie, this is the real world. You're real, I'm real. I've toned down my vernacular because it often intimidated my superiors and prevented me from advancing in my career, you know that. But if you'd like me to resume using it in our private conversations, of course I will."
I force a smile. I'd trust Ed with my life but, despite this man appearing so similar, he isn't Ed, nor was that joyful, bubbly, slightly less pale man Oswald. But, this dream is bound to wear off at some point, right?
"Okay, thanks Ed."
He leans down and kisses me on the forehead, "You'll feel better, and I trust you'll make the right decision."
Well, at least Ed's acting a little more like himself. Cryptic messages are his bread and butter but, something seemed off about this one. Everything is off here, I guess that's the drawback of being in a dream. On one end, I want to get out of here as soon as possible, but a part of me, strangely enough, doesn't want to leave. Despite it's quirks, this is the life I've always envisioned for myself but, never thought to be completely possible. My parents are alive, Ed and I are together, I hold a high-ranking job in law enforcement-
Ed grabs ahold of my wrist and points to the sky, "Natalie, look! It's the Trickstress!"
Author's Note:
Lola93091: Thanks, Oswald would be none too pleased to say the least ;)
Fuchsia Grasshopper: I've only been really playing the Walking Dead video game series, it's so hard for me to keep up with TV shows on a week-to-week basis (it's a struggle just keeping up with Gotham). And yeah, this whole arch definitely has an air of fluffiness to it, mostly because the ones after it are going to be on the darker side. And it's obvious from the beginning that this dream world isn't possible in the real world, and she wouldn't attract any "good guys" because most of the canon men are either taken or on the wrong side of the fence (OCs are meant to serve canon characters after all, not the other way around). As for Jerome, I say it could go either way. I mean, they called him a villain, but what on-camera villainous acts did he commit other than give a Heath Ledger-esque monologue about killing his mother? Although I'd like to see him brought back, the actor did a phenomenal job
Narutoske: Yeah, after all the romancey dialogue chapters, I felt an action chapter was in order. And we see Oswald in this chapter, although it's certainly not the Oswald we've come to know
Thanks! :)