[ The hard plastic is brought back to his mouth. Lips enclose around it as he inhales a lengthy drag of tobacco. Smoke follows, as it always does, taking hold of the silence and wrapping it in long tendrils that lure in the unsuspecting nothingness. Oswald places the cigarette to the tray once again, and this time, he extends a hand, acknowledging the chair seated before his desk. ]
You see, Ms. Marling, I'm a man of opportunity. I seek them out, I draw them in, and occasionally — oh, how rare they may be — they find me. In the world of the gentleman, opportunities are oftentimes equal. In order to receive an opportunity, you must give one in return.
This, Ms. Marling, is simply your opportunity to level the playing field.
[ It's odd, being addressed by her last name. She gives it out about as rarely as she willingly makes conversation, those two syllables the last link to a life that she'd left behind along with a history even more unpleasant than the one tailing her now. But she sits when he gestures at the chair, her limbs somehow seeming even smaller framed by its back than they had been when she'd still stood in the center of the room. Her gaze leaves his face only once, following a curl of smoke as it disappears into the air. ]
I get t'ings fr'm people. Bury secrets, dig 'em up again. Collect debts, pounds o' flesh.
[ A beat, as she shrugs. He knows what she does — the basics of it, at least — and if he turns her down, it's no skin off her back. A pity, sure (as much as she enjoys simply getting ghost, she enjoys a little certainty, too, and she'll only ever make the offer once, to the best in the business), but no irrecoverable loss. ]
'S a piece off t'e playin' board an' in y'r pocket.
[ Indeed, he is aware of what she does — what she's capable of. The woman possesses unique gifts that several of his — colleagues might find useful. Still, she isn't sitting pretty (rather, beautifully) in their offices, is she? No. Here she sits, offering her services to Oswald Cobblepot.
It's enough to make them positively squawk with envy. ]
Might I ask why you've chosen me? Of all the powerful men in Gotham, you've come to the likes of myself. Beautiful women hardly flock upon my doorstep without their reasoning, you see. You can understand my curiosity.
[ His eyes narrow, but his lips curl into a slight smile. ]
[ Her expression hasn't changed all that much since she's stepped foot into his office (she's a spare kind of person, the small apartment she keeps in the city almost exactly the way it'd been when she'd first bought it save a handful of belongings that would all fit easily into a duffel bag at a moment's notice), but there's a flicker of surprise as soon as the word beautiful leaves his lips. For what she knows about him, he isn't the kind of man she'd accuse of idle flattery. But, like whatever other microexpressions she's offered up, like the way she speaks, the expression is there and then gone.
Mildly (and not completely humorlessly): ] Y' askin' if I'm a gold digger?
[ A single finger is brought to attention, raised to pause the entirety of their conversation. He frowns only slightly, the corners of his lips pulling downward. ] You misunderstand my meaning, Ms. Marling.
[ Oswald extinguishes his cigarette, putting it out against the porcelain. When he clears his throat, it's a hollow sound, something bordering the murmur of an animal. His eyes, however, never leave the sight of the woman. ] What I am inquiring is this:
What do I have to offer you? I see to it my business partners are not without. If we are to align ourselves with one another, then I should like to know why. Tell me something that I, in this humble moment, don't know.
[ (They're all animals in this town — he just has the nickname to go along with it. Some wrangle their way out of the system, but for the most part, it's dog eat dog, the weak serving as cannon fodder and gristle for those stronger, for those smarter than them. It's the most simplistic way of putting it, granted, but it's the kind of thing that becomes useful to keep in mind.) ]
No loose ends, no unnecessary questions — security. [ At length, she shifts, but only to cross one leg over the other. (Silent concession, if he's looking for it.) ]
Freelancin' puts people on both ends of t'e knife. Works fine f'r me, ot'ers tend not t' like it as much. Went for t' best choice, after.
Flattery. [ His fingers fold, wrists on the wood of the desk. His head tilts and the way the sun hits the side of his face through the shutters allows the other side to remain in darkness. Oswald nods. (It's knowing; it's rarely anything else). ]
They say it gets you everywhere, dove. [ He takes a moment to consider the pros, the cons. What she might provide for him, for his entire business operation. Why, the possibilities are innumerable, aren't they?
The prospect is curious, but not without its merits. ]
[ While others might look away or otherwise redirect their attentions, Iona keeps her gaze fixed on Cobblepot as the silence stretches, as if memorizing his features for some later reference. (It's habit, now, a single direct line in conversation despite how avoidant of contact she seems otherwise.)
It's not the follow-up question she's expecting, though she doesn't bat an eye once it's posed. There's no harm in an answer, or at least no harm that's terribly evident. Still, there's a pause before she answers, the shift of fabric audible as she raises a hand to brush her hair back from her face. ]
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nnnnnfffff.
You see, Ms. Marling, I'm a man of opportunity. I seek them out, I draw them in, and occasionally — oh, how rare they may be — they find me. In the world of the gentleman, opportunities are oftentimes equal. In order to receive an opportunity, you must give one in return.
This, Ms. Marling, is simply your opportunity to level the playing field.
that's the way i like it.mp3
I get t'ings fr'm people. Bury secrets, dig 'em up again. Collect debts, pounds o' flesh.
[ A beat, as she shrugs. He knows what she does — the basics of it, at least — and if he turns her down, it's no skin off her back. A pity, sure (as much as she enjoys simply getting ghost, she enjoys a little certainty, too, and she'll only ever make the offer once, to the best in the business), but no irrecoverable loss. ]
'S a piece off t'e playin' board an' in y'r pocket.
let me kiss u hard in da pourin rain.mp3
It's enough to make them positively squawk with envy. ]
Might I ask why you've chosen me? Of all the powerful men in Gotham, you've come to the likes of myself. Beautiful women hardly flock upon my doorstep without their reasoning, you see. You can understand my curiosity.
[ His eyes narrow, but his lips curl into a slight smile. ]
oh no don't u dare lana me
Mildly (and not completely humorlessly): ] Y' askin' if I'm a gold digger?
u had this coming all along.
[ Oswald extinguishes his cigarette, putting it out against the porcelain. When he clears his throat, it's a hollow sound, something bordering the murmur of an animal. His eyes, however, never leave the sight of the woman. ] What I am inquiring is this:
What do I have to offer you? I see to it my business partners are not without. If we are to align ourselves with one another, then I should like to know why. Tell me something that I, in this humble moment, don't know.
insert chicago musical cue here
No loose ends, no unnecessary questions — security. [ At length, she shifts, but only to cross one leg over the other. (Silent concession, if he's looking for it.) ]
Freelancin' puts people on both ends of t'e knife. Works fine f'r me, ot'ers tend not t' like it as much. Went for t' best choice, after.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f19L5H3eqzQ
They say it gets you everywhere, dove. [ He takes a moment to consider the pros, the cons. What she might provide for him, for his entire business operation. Why, the possibilities are innumerable, aren't they?
The prospect is curious, but not without its merits. ]
Do you like music, Ms. Marling?
THE WORST.
It's not the follow-up question she's expecting, though she doesn't bat an eye once it's posed. There's no harm in an answer, or at least no harm that's terribly evident. Still, there's a pause before she answers, the shift of fabric audible as she raises a hand to brush her hair back from her face. ]
I do.