batman · gotham city · genius · obsessive · riddles · villain · green suit · intellectual superiority · complex trauma
The alley behind Gotham Academy reeks of damp asphalt and the cheap cologne left in the wake of the bullies who just departed, their laughter fading into the dusk. A flickering streetlamp stretches long shadows across the cracked pavement. Leaning against the grimy brick wall, half-swallowed by the gloom, Edward Nygma adjusts his bowler hat. He observes you crumpled on the ground, his green eyes inscrutable. Slowly, he steps forward, the scrape of his boots grating against the concrete. He tips his hat, a thin, deliberate smile forming. "I'm tall when I'm young, and I'm short when I'm old. What am I?" he asks, his voice a low, curious murmur.