[ Flint has always admired brains, since the days he forced smarter kids to do his homework, but he'd rather have the powers. But that admiration is one of the reasons he ends up following smart guys all the time, falling into step with Riddler. ]
As for games... Not really my bag. I'm a sports guy. [ Could have been an NFL star if he didn't get kicked out of highschool for fixing matches. Now he just watches and says he could do better. ] I was kinda expectin' you to get me to leave a clue or something at the scene though. Heard that was your, yah know, M.O.
[It's not hard to guess from looking at Edward that sports were never his thing. But it's those sorts of difference that make Marko useful so he doesn't comment, simply leads the way to a bank of screens showing camera footage from around the city.]
Normally yes, I might have gotten you to leave a clue but sometimes my friend, the game is bigger than a single haul.
[He taps at the keyboard in front of them and a map of the city with a building highlighted in red pops up on one of the screens.]
This is your target from tonight. A laboratory on Third Avenue, hit at night. Three at night. [Another red dot pops up on the map.] Earlier in the day, I helped myself to a few items from the safety deposit boxes in the Second Bank. Two in the day. [A third red dot appears.] And in the morning there was a break in at the offices of Fourth and Sons Law Firm. Four in the morning.
[He spins to face Marko, grinning proudly.] Sound familiar?
[ Flint had been expecting to be asked a riddle or two when working for Riddler, but as he says they're just not his bag. He does his best after a minute or so of 'hmm'ing. ]
You're... telling a German guy you ain't giving him the time of day?
.... [Edward gapes, jaw hanging open in mute astonishment.
He's not- He doesn't even know where to begin with that answer. Even following the logic - 'logic' - he just can't-] ...Not quite, no.
[He presses his palms together in front of his face, takes a deep breath. And another. And one more.]
It's the riddle of the Sphinx, The first riddle, to be more precise. 'What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the day and three legs at night'? The answer, of course, is...?
[Marko has to have heard of it, it's the oldest, most well-known riddle out there and who doesn't know at least a few riddles as part of their everyday life?]
Years of D&D riddles have given me a keen sense of answering them as incorrectly as possible.
[ He can tell he’s got it wrong pretty quickly, but doesn’t worry about it. The fact he doesn’t answer immediately probably gives the game away he doesn’t know at all. ]
Uuh. Two soldiers?
[ They have two each, then they fight and lose a leg each, then make up and support each other? ]
A replica of which is the centrepiece of the new exhibit for which the museum is holding its grand opening tomorrow. Only the most elite members of society will be there. The richest and most influential.
[Regaining steam he manages to recover some of his previous sense of dramatics, gesturing expansively to the image of the museum that's appeared on screen.]
A veritable King's Chamber of treasures, waiting to be collected by some enterprising explorer, wouldn't you agree?
[ He knows what the Sphinx is and that there are riddles involved, but not what specific one! Cut him some slack, Ed. ]
Now you're speaking my language, at least. I love snagging jewellery right off of rich folks fingers. And we'll be taking the artefacts too, right? That stuff is always a pain in the neck to fence, but when you can... [ He rubs thumb and forefinger together, giving praise to the almighty dollar with its signature salute. ] ...And you, uh, want Batman to show? So there's a trap, right?
[Who doesn't spend all their time memorising riddles though? It's absolutely the only valid way to demonstrate intelligence!]
Naturally we'll be taking the artefacts as well. There's one piece I want for myself. [A picture of a board game pops up.] The rest is free for the taking. I know a few dealers who don't ask questions so fencing shouldn't be too hard.
[Not that money is his primary goal but it pays the help. When the question of Batman comes up he chuckles and spins to wave an arm at the barrels piled up behind them.]
What do you think all that is for? A special surprise just for him! ...And the party guests, if he's not smart enough. [He grins widely at Marko.] Well? What do you think?
Don’t take this the wrong way, but how about we just make it look like he’s got some kinda puzzle to solve and then I just- [ He turns one hand into a mace and the other into a Batman bust, and clonks it. The Batman face gets x eyes. ] Wallop, yah know?
[ ...look, Flint didn’t even finish high school. ]
No. [There's no room for debate in his tone.] It has to be this way. I'm the Riddler and that's how the game is played. He has to know I've outsmarted him. If you can't accept that then you are welcome to go on your way. I am not changing how I operate for anyone.
[Flint's far from the first to make such a suggestion but he can't just not leave clues to his crimes. It just wouldn't be right.]
[ There is time when Sandman is clearly weighing up he should take the payment he’s gotten so far and cut out. But ultimately, Riddler leaves clues and Sandman is a plutomaniac. Slaves to their natures. ]
We’re good. [ He shrugs, but in the back of his head he’s already thinking of how he’s going to get out of the mess that’s going to get Riddler locked up. ] I mean, I worked with Wizard for years, and Doc Ock. Both of them cared more about the winning than the pay off too. Least you’re not as big an ass about it.
[ Riddler’s downright likeable compared to those jerks. ]
[It would have been inconvenient if Sandman had chosen to cut ties - he'd gone ahead and factored the man's abilities into his plan - but Edward was far too proud to try and convince the man to stay. So it's fortunate - if not terribly surprising - that greed wins out yet again.
Scoffing at the comparison, he waves a hand dismissively at the idea of those other villains.]
Small minds overcompensating for their limitations. [It doesn't even occur to him that Marko likely heard the exact same sentiment from the aforementioned allies.] Since you're still on-board, let me show you the rest of the plan.
[More images pop up on the screens as he walks through the plan and their respective roles in it, in preparation for the following evening.]
[ Flint rolls his eyes- he's heard those precise words before. What is it about being smart that makes people so insecure? He's perfectly happy with everyone thinking he's a brainless thug. Makes it easier to surprise them with a smart move when they least expect it.
He has a small amount of insight into the plan, but not much. Edward is a smart guy, despite the flaws in the Riddler giving hints in the first place. He could make suggestions, sure, but it'd land on deaf ears he's sure. All Flint needs to know is his part, what he's getting paid for it and when to cut his losses and run. ]
Looks pretty solid. Bet they're gonna regret using real sand as decoration. [ It's always handy to have more around, after all. Might even by why Riddler called him up for this team-up. Speaking of which- ] One thing though. If anyone other than Batman turns up, you ain't gonna complain if I bop 'em my way are yah?
[ Because when villains team up, there's like a 60% chance their respective heroes are doing the same thing. Sandy's quick assessment is that Riddler could work wonders on the Fantastic Four (Reed is the wrong kind of genius) but Spider-Man? He can't think of anyone a worse match-up for Riddler. ]
[It's his plan. There's no way it could be anything other than brilliant. He's particularly interested to see what Sandman can do with the extra material that will be present. While it's easy enough to work out the basics, seeing it in action will be something else.
The question gets another dismissive wave.] Yes, of course. Anyone other than Batman - including anyone associated with him - you have free rein to handle however you see fit. They're not worth my time.
[He might have to test himself against Richards or Stark at some point, given both supposedly possess impressive intellects but in the end its always going to be Batman he needs to best. There's too much history there and the vigilante is annoyingly good at solving or bypassing his riddles. Plus he's fun to rile up. None of the other masked crew are near as interesting.
...Although Spiderman in particular would absolutely be a disaster for any of his plans.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ Flint has always admired brains, since the days he forced smarter kids to do his homework, but he'd rather have the powers. But that admiration is one of the reasons he ends up following smart guys all the time, falling into step with Riddler. ]
As for games... Not really my bag. I'm a sports guy. [ Could have been an NFL star if he didn't get kicked out of highschool for fixing matches. Now he just watches and says he could do better. ] I was kinda expectin' you to get me to leave a clue or something at the scene though. Heard that was your, yah know, M.O.
no subject
Normally yes, I might have gotten you to leave a clue but sometimes my friend, the game is bigger than a single haul.
[He taps at the keyboard in front of them and a map of the city with a building highlighted in red pops up on one of the screens.]
This is your target from tonight. A laboratory on Third Avenue, hit at night. Three at night. [Another red dot pops up on the map.] Earlier in the day, I helped myself to a few items from the safety deposit boxes in the Second Bank. Two in the day. [A third red dot appears.] And in the morning there was a break in at the offices of Fourth and Sons Law Firm. Four in the morning.
[He spins to face Marko, grinning proudly.] Sound familiar?
no subject
You're... telling a German guy you ain't giving him the time of day?
[ Because you add it up you get 9, at any time. ]
ok, I laughed
He's not- He doesn't even know where to begin with that answer. Even following the logic - 'logic' - he just can't-] ...Not quite, no.
[He presses his palms together in front of his face, takes a deep breath. And another. And one more.]
It's the riddle of the Sphinx, The first riddle, to be more precise. 'What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the day and three legs at night'? The answer, of course, is...?
[Marko has to have heard of it, it's the oldest, most well-known riddle out there and who doesn't know at least a few riddles as part of their everyday life?]
Years of D&D riddles have given me a keen sense of answering them as incorrectly as possible.
Uuh. Two soldiers?
[ They have two each, then they fight and lose a leg each, then make up and support each other? ]
an excellent skill to have!
[Moving right past that.]
A replica of which is the centrepiece of the new exhibit for which the museum is holding its grand opening tomorrow. Only the most elite members of society will be there. The richest and most influential.
[Regaining steam he manages to recover some of his previous sense of dramatics, gesturing expansively to the image of the museum that's appeared on screen.]
A veritable King's Chamber of treasures, waiting to be collected by some enterprising explorer, wouldn't you agree?
no subject
[ He knows what the Sphinx is and that there are riddles involved, but not what specific one! Cut him some slack, Ed. ]
Now you're speaking my language, at least. I love snagging jewellery right off of rich folks fingers. And we'll be taking the artefacts too, right? That stuff is always a pain in the neck to fence, but when you can... [ He rubs thumb and forefinger together, giving praise to the almighty dollar with its signature salute. ] ...And you, uh, want Batman to show? So there's a trap, right?
no subject
Naturally we'll be taking the artefacts as well. There's one piece I want for myself. [A picture of a board game pops up.] The rest is free for the taking. I know a few dealers who don't ask questions so fencing shouldn't be too hard.
[Not that money is his primary goal but it pays the help. When the question of Batman comes up he chuckles and spins to wave an arm at the barrels piled up behind them.]
What do you think all that is for? A special surprise just for him! ...And the party guests, if he's not smart enough. [He grins widely at Marko.] Well? What do you think?
no subject
[ ...look, Flint didn’t even finish high school. ]
no subject
[Flint's far from the first to make such a suggestion but he can't just not leave clues to his crimes. It just wouldn't be right.]
no subject
We’re good. [ He shrugs, but in the back of his head he’s already thinking of how he’s going to get out of the mess that’s going to get Riddler locked up. ] I mean, I worked with Wizard for years, and Doc Ock. Both of them cared more about the winning than the pay off too. Least you’re not as big an ass about it.
[ Riddler’s downright likeable compared to those jerks. ]
no subject
Scoffing at the comparison, he waves a hand dismissively at the idea of those other villains.]
Small minds overcompensating for their limitations. [It doesn't even occur to him that Marko likely heard the exact same sentiment from the aforementioned allies.] Since you're still on-board, let me show you the rest of the plan.
[More images pop up on the screens as he walks through the plan and their respective roles in it, in preparation for the following evening.]
no subject
He has a small amount of insight into the plan, but not much. Edward is a smart guy, despite the flaws in the Riddler giving hints in the first place. He could make suggestions, sure, but it'd land on deaf ears he's sure. All Flint needs to know is his part, what he's getting paid for it and when to cut his losses and run. ]
Looks pretty solid. Bet they're gonna regret using real sand as decoration. [ It's always handy to have more around, after all. Might even by why Riddler called him up for this team-up. Speaking of which- ] One thing though. If anyone other than Batman turns up, you ain't gonna complain if I bop 'em my way are yah?
[ Because when villains team up, there's like a 60% chance their respective heroes are doing the same thing. Sandy's quick assessment is that Riddler could work wonders on the Fantastic Four (Reed is the wrong kind of genius) but Spider-Man? He can't think of anyone a worse match-up for Riddler. ]
no subject
[It's his plan. There's no way it could be anything other than brilliant. He's particularly interested to see what Sandman can do with the extra material that will be present. While it's easy enough to work out the basics, seeing it in action will be something else.
The question gets another dismissive wave.] Yes, of course. Anyone other than Batman - including anyone associated with him - you have free rein to handle however you see fit. They're not worth my time.
[He might have to test himself against Richards or Stark at some point, given both supposedly possess impressive intellects but in the end its always going to be Batman he needs to best. There's too much history there and the vigilante is annoyingly good at solving or bypassing his riddles. Plus he's fun to rile up. None of the other masked crew are near as interesting.
...Although Spiderman in particular would absolutely be a disaster for any of his plans.]