❝ 𝑰𝑵 𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑶𝑺 . . . ❞
after the destruction that the riddler caused on gotham city, the people demanded he be put on trial for his crimes. an up and coming lawyer, eden charmichael, takes his case, needing to put her face on the news in...
"DESPISED I AM BY KNAVE AND LIAR. after me, the wise inquire, i rise above all death and fire. what am i?"
gotham city eats you alive. eden was certain of that. ever since she was a child, dressing up in her blouses and blazers to walk onto the cracked pavements of the streets to her family's car, she's known that the streets weren't safe. you didn't need to be a scholar to know that.
no one was a saint in gotham, it was no secret that all the government officials were being paid off, especially now as mr. falcone was in jail. it seemed as though everyone's secrets were being revealed.
the city was still a mess after the riddler's attacks. water, that was already prevalent by the heavy downpour this fall, seeped through the cracks and rubble brought by explosives. the smell of mildew and mold ran through the city, with the occasional smell of gunpowder if you were in the right neighborhood. you would do anything to escape it.
in fact, the moment eden stepped foot into arkham asylum, she greeted the smell of lavender and roses that was brought on with the hope that it would calm the patients who were brought in here.
however, it was to no avail, because the longer she spent sitting in front of the riddler, the more he seemed to twitch with . . . was it anticipation? compulsion? it took no shrink to know that edward was deranged and criminally insane, and yet the people wanted him to pay. hell, eden wanted him to pay as well but there were still so many holes in the case. people were asking for answers that only he held.
"miss . . . charmichael. the longer we sit here, the more . . . attention this meeting will attract i'm afraid," the riddler spoke once more, his voice in a hushed whisper.
her lips pursed. "am i supposed to assume that you care for my safety, mr. nashton?" eden's hands were shaking, though she attempted to conceal it by placing them on the cool metal table. although there were two armed guards near the door and the criminal was handcuffed, you could never be too sure these days.
"what of your safety, miss? when the public sets its eyes on you, you'll be ruined."
"ruined?" she asked.
"every target will be on your back. not even your precious money, or your precious batman can save you."
ah, the batman. the very person that the riddler seemed to blame for these attacks. he said that he did it all for the masked vigilante. what was so important about the batman that made him do all of this? maybe that was the question to everything. maybe that was what would finally bring this case some justice.
"you insult my wealth like it's a bad thing," eden told him. her family came from a long line of old money. it was no secret that she was wealthy, everyone knew that. although eden had never faced the burden of financial means, there was still more to her than that, which the media failed to mention time and time again. no matter how much philanthropy and welfare she gave back to the city and it's people, gotham never gave anything back to her.
this case, she swore to herself last night as she laid in bed, was her last gift to gotham. her farewell. eden would take the charmichael name out of this city if it was the last thing that she did.
the riddler tisks. "answer my riddle, and i'll give you another one."
"what to i gain from playing your little game, edward?" eden asks, her tone more aggravating than not, leaning in closer to the demented patient. "you do realize that i'm not on your side. the people instilled me to give you the punishment that fits your crime."
"answer the riddle."
despised i am by knave and liar. someone who was dishonest . . . like the government? the law? after me, the wise inquire. knowledge? i rise above all.
then, it hit her like a freight train.
"the truth."
the riddler burst into a fit of laughter, the sounds echoing off the walls back and forth, eden could've sworn that the people outside these walls could hear it. it was ever consuming, like a child who won a prize. "you've guessed it!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. from behind her, eden could hear the guards reaching for their guns just in case. "the truth! the truth, miss charmichael is all that i wish to unfold. for the people, for you. especially for you."
silence fell between them as a buzzer went off, meaning their time today was coming to a close. the guards came and unlocked the chain on his handcuffs, allowing him to step away from the table.
"wait!" eden told them, standing up herself, walking closer to the man who was thrashing in the arms of the guards. "you never gave me my next riddle."
he peered through his coke bottle glasses at her, then walked away. as he was led through the door, he said, "what costs more than riches but doesn't cost a penny; that's also hard to find yet easy to lose?"
eden stood there, alone, in the room. and she thought. a minute passed, then two. and then four then ten.
an old friend.
of course. how could she be so stupid? he was the last person that the riddler was planning to kill. her friend, which she hadn't seen since school.
