WHAT AM I ???

𝘘𝘜𝘐𝘊𝘒     𝘓𝘌𝘈𝘙𝘕𝘌𝘙     𝘞𝘈𝘚     𝘏𝘌     !     ----------     wide     smile     overtakes     the     curvatures     of     those     full     lips,     while     dark,     bespectacled     eyes     watch     the     so     called     “genius”     carefully.     Gloved     hands     ever     expressive,     moving     from     index     finger     curved     o’er     thumb     to     clasping     one     another     in     concentration.     Embody     confidence,     no     one     can     cut     you     down     if     you     never     let     them     close     enough,     𝘍𝘙𝘐𝘎𝘏𝘛𝘌𝘕     𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘔     𝘐𝘕𝘛𝘖     𝘚𝘜𝘉𝘔𝘐𝘚𝘚𝘐𝘖𝘕     !     𝘉𝘖𝘞     𝘛𝘖     𝘛𝘏𝘌     𝘙𝘐𝘋𝘋𝘓𝘌𝘙     !    

❛     correct.     ❜ 

𝘓𝘐𝘛𝘛𝘓𝘌     𝘗𝘓𝘌𝘈𝘚𝘈𝘕𝘛     𝘎𝘙𝘖𝘞𝘓     𝘖𝘕     𝘞𝘖𝘙𝘋𝘚 ,     ever     exalted     by     his     intentions     being     pointed     out.     (    HIS    RIDDLE    BEING    SOLVED !    )     All     at     once     his     grin     drops,     hands     gesticulating     to     prove     his     point     further     as     he     speaks.

❛     see,     i     don’t     NEED     you     [...]     to     scare     these     simpletons.     that     part     is     easy,     what     with     the     whole     ANDROID     UPRISING     that’s     got     everyone     on     edge.     BUT     [...]     it     does     make     it     so     much     more     FUN     to     watch     them     squirm.     as     their     prolific     little     engineer     is     kept     subdued     by     someone     far     more     intelligent,     and     intimidating.     you     see,     elijah,     to     these     people     you’re     their     last     hope,     get     rid     of     you     and     i     don’t     just     frighten     them.     --     ❜ 

𝘉𝘖𝘋𝘠     𝘓𝘜𝘙𝘊𝘏𝘌𝘚     𝘍𝘖𝘙𝘞𝘈𝘙𝘋     𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌     𝘈𝘕𝘐𝘔𝘈𝘓     𝘖𝘕     𝘗𝘙𝘌𝘠 ,     those     dark     eyes,     INTENSE     and     locked     with     the     other’s     own.     voice     reaches     depths     of     cruelty     and     gruffness     as     growl     is     summoned     from     deep     within     the     criminal     mastermind.

𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍     𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑     𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚜     𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝     𝚝𝚑𝚎     𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚛     𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎     𝚝𝚑𝚎     𝚖𝚊𝚗     𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚜.     the     question     is     one     he     didn’t     concern     himself     with,     as     far     as     he     was     concerned     he     had     won     the     battle     --     at     least     for     now.     a     breathy     laugh     follows,     and     gestures     galore     to     come     as     he     speaks.

❛     okay     [...]     I’m     silent     in     habit,     but     I     can     topple     empires.     my     whole     embodies     indifference.     𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝     𝚊𝚖     𝙸?     ❜

light     pause     swells     over     the     conversation     as     it     lulls     to     a     tense     silence     for     but     a     breath     of     a     moment     [...]     before --

𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎     𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛     𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝     𝚘𝚗     𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚜     𝚘𝚏     𝚝𝚑𝚎     𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚍     𝚊𝚗𝚍     𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚜     ‘ 𝚁𝙸𝙳𝙳𝙻𝙴𝚁. ’     ------     for being faced with such a question that nipped and nagged at underlying fears and torment was not an event that he had so planned for this evening. yet still he had questions, found himself perplexed by his appearance as it defied all logic and reason. the stranger spoke nonesense, what’s more, it was seemingly religious nonsense -- something that surely his mother or father would spout. and still his mind nags and begs for the answer to the reoccuring question that never left him be :

Q :     WHAT     AM     I     ???   

a dream?   a hallucination?   he couldn’t be sure. seemingly he was awake, he thought he was -- he felt he was -- but then who was he supposed to be. what figment or projection of self had he sought to fulfil in his enigmatic crusade to disarm the riddler? to cut off the alter in charge currently? was this ed’s attempt to regain control from the one in the     ‘ driver’s seat ’     so to speak? bitterness bears down on his features further at the thought. what deluded madness was he speaking, and why did those dark eyes pierce him so. in a way, he felt exposed. curling in on himself mentally did nothing to sate his need for control that was quickly slipping away and into the hands of the one before him. a delusion at best, that’s all it was. a hallucination. he couldn’t hurt him, they shared a mind to rattle and battle within and just like ed before him he too would fall in line. 

𝙸’𝙼     𝙸𝙽     𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝚁𝙾𝙻,     𝙸’𝙼     𝙸𝙽     𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝚁𝙾𝙻,     𝚈𝙾𝚄     𝙲𝙰𝙽’𝚃     𝙷𝚄𝚁𝚃     𝙼𝙴.     𝙸’𝙼     𝚂𝙷𝙾𝚆𝙸𝙽𝙶     𝙷𝙸𝙼     𝚆𝙷𝙾     𝙷𝙴     𝙸𝚂,     𝚆𝙷𝙾     𝙷𝙴     𝙲𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳     𝙱𝙴.

❛     oh     [...]     oh,     how     interesting.     ❜

𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎     𝚒𝚜     𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚢     𝚒𝚗     𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎     𝚘𝚏     𝚑𝚒𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏.    ------     darkened gaze illuminated with a flicker of confidence prior thought to have left the man. he takes him in, drinks up every word he speaks and light reassured grin slides onto softened lip, ease in his brown eyes.     ‘ 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎   𝚑𝚊𝚜   𝚊   𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢,   𝚊𝚗𝚍   𝚊𝚕𝚕   𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢   𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝   𝚒𝚜   𝚝𝚘   𝚋𝚎   𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍   𝚝𝚘 ’     ----     and he sees your story, dear wretched outsider. he sees what you’re attempting to do, at least he thinks he does, and saddled with this information he views to be the truth, he’d use it to its full advantage. there would be no venturing forth back into the great expansive nothing of edward nygma’s mind, out of control, walked on, ignored. the very thought of it makes him sick. he promised to make the people of gotham bow, and he intended to keep that promise.