[JUST OUTSIDE GOTHAM]

[confound]

It's another lovely, sunny day in the suburbs outside Gotham. The people visiting State Bank & Trust go about their usual routines, rushing in and out only to wait impatiently in the teller queue. It's all very boring, very dull.

New bank teller Amy is manning the spot closest to the door, and she's grateful for it. The a/c is on the fritz again and the occasional waft of air from the better-cooled entryway is an all-too-brief relief. The heat isn't helping her concentration any, either; it's like thinking through a fog. So when her latest customer slips her a green note marked with a yellow question mark, she doesn't think much of it. She unfolds it on autopilot and stares blankly at it's contents.

It lifts but it doesn't carry. What is it?

"I... I don't understand." She mumbles quietly, and when she looks up there's a gun in her face.

"It's a holdup." The man grins, and that's when she notices his suit is green. His tie has a question mark on it, too, and he's wearing a mask under that bowler hat that she didn't notice at first. Oh, god.

It's perhaps not the Riddler's best work but he's statisfied enough. Besides, why bother effort on the teller? The real fun puzzle is elsewhere. All he wants here is the goddamn money already.

Behind him, Benny and Trigger are already starting crowd control. Batman's nowhere in sight. It's a lovely day.

Comments

[sweet_caroline]

Caroline is quietly waiting in line to do her boring banking shit and get the hell out. She's stopped just outside Gotham for a couple days, she needs the break from driving constantly. It's actually kind of nice here. Might be worth staying a little longer. She's in a good enough mood she's even humming under her breath while she waits.

Her attention suddenly snaps back to reality when two fairly big guys start... oh well fuck. The bank would get robbed while she's here. She obediently gets down on the ground and tries to look as harmless as possible. She's tiny and prone to cuteness, so that's not hard.

She cautiously peers around. Aw fuck, that's a guy in a costume. How did she not notice that until now? Stupid nice days and good moods.

[confound]

The Riddler tosses a couple duffle bags over the divide at the poor tellers behind them.

"Empty your tills into those. No alarms, no dye bombs, no tricks, or I start killing. Go on, now." He gestures with his gun for the tellers to move and move they do. Capitol. There's one in particular that he moves to next, a trainee from what her badge says. "You, there. Get the manager. I'm not going to tell you twice."

The trainee looks a bit like she's about to faint but she still nods and scurries away all the same.

Benny and Trigger are doing their part without a hitch, he's fairly certain no alarm has been triggered - all in all it's leaving him in a rather buoyant frame of mind. He jauntily weaves his way through the crowd of people laying on the ground. The shouting from his henchmen is stock and not worth his attention. Stay on the ground! No heroes or everyone dies! That sort of thing. Boring but necessary.

But why spend these brief minutes bored? Why, he could be enjoying himself!

"Good people! While I'm waiting for my money, why don't we have a little game of riddles? Shall we?" He grins down at each of them as he passes. A large balding man in flannel, a smallish redhead woman, what looks to be a construction worker on break. He doubts many will rise to the task. He taps his chin, expression theatrically thoughtful under the domino mask. "It is where yesterday follows today, and tomorrow is in the middle. What is it?"

[sweet_caroline]

Well, this could be worse. As far as Caroline knows, the Riddler isn't particularly prone to violence. And he doesn't dose people with fear gas or lethal laughing gas or anything. But he does have a gun and some henchmen.

And now he wants to play a game. Of course he does. She stays very still as he strolls by, grinning. She hopes he's prepared to be disappointed, because he's not particularly likely to get an answer out of anyo-- hang on. That's actually not too tricky.

Caroline isn't sure this is a good idea. A quick glance around tells her no one else is likely to say anything. Playing along is probably better than not. Hopefully he won't get mad if she's right.

"A dictionary," she says quietly.

[confound]

"Aw, no one?" The Riddler begins to laugh, but it's a sound that dies in his throat as soon as he hears a quiet answer from somewhere behind him. A woman's voice. He spins on his heels to get a good look at her.

It's the little redhead. Oh, my.

He tucks his cane under an arm and golf-claps delicately, his gun still in hand. "Good job, miss. I thought that no one would get it. Perhaps you'll puzzle out another!"

It's then that the bank manager shows. The Riddler rounds on him and aims the gun at his head. "Go to the vault. Fill up the bags, large currency first. No funny business." A nod to Benny sends the man with the manager, and once they've vanished from sight, Riddler turns back to this redhead. "Ah, now, as I was saying. If the day before the day after tomorrow will be Saturday, and the day after the day before yesterday was Thursday, what is today?"

[sweet_caroline]

The good news is she got it right. The bad news is now he's paying attention to her. Welp. Oh wait, maybe not there's the manager.

...Well that was quick.

Caroline can't help it, she snorts at this new riddle. "It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday." She actually sings halfassedly after the first "Friday." Caroline, no. This is not how we escape from costumed supercriminals unscathed.

[confound]

The Riddler trains his gun on the riddle-solving redhead and waits patiently. She does not fail to deliver.

...She just happens to do it in a very unexpected manner. She actually sings it at him. He can do nothing but stare blankly at her down the barrel of the gun for a moment, eyebrows raised until they're almost under the brim of his bowler. And then he laughs inappropriately loudly.

"What a sport you are! And, my, I do believe I have time for more." His grin's a sharp, wolfish thing, and he's looking at her with a very appraising eye now. "I have a little house in which I live all alone. It has no doors or windows, and if I want to go out I must break through the wall. What am I?"

[sweet_caroline]

Well, he's laughing. That's good, hopefully. Caroline no, don't notice anything about that grin. Just keep playing along for now.

She just gives the Riddler a look even though she really shouldn't. But come on now, that's almost insulting. So before she can think better of it, Caroline's replying with not an answer but, "A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid."

Well that was probably unwise.

[confound]

The Riddler closes the distance between him and the riddle-solver, stepping over one hostage then actually just walking on the next because he looked rather sturdy. He stops just short and sets the end of his cane on the ground just shy of her hands.

"Well, well, well," He chuckles and leans forward on his cane. There's a moment where the barrel of the pistol is level with her face, then the hostage next to him moves in a way the Riddler doesn't appreciate. It's the construction worker, and he ends up with the gun against his head. "Excuse you."

And then he goes back to talking to the interesting woman as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Now, for something a little different, a bonus round... What's in my pocket? You get three guesses, miss."

[sweet_caroline]

Oh shit that was definitely the wrong thing to say, that is a gun in her face-- and now it's not. Uh. Well. The cane is still way too close to her hands, and the Riddler is now way too close in general.

Caroline squints up at that last "riddle." Of course, there's no getting this one right. That might be all for the better, really. Once she gets it wrong she can be a boring hostage again.

"String or nothing," she says after a moment. Might as well play along properly.

[confound]

The Riddler rests his chin on the hand on his cane. He's mostly crouching now, but he can tell from the sounds of Trigger across the bank that the tellers are still not done. And the manager has not yet returned, either.

"String or nothing. Alas, miss, your winning streak has ended. However... Is that one guess?" His mouth turns down in a thoughtful sort of frown. "Or was that perhaps two? It was a singular statement, but two objects. My, this is tricky."

[sweet_caroline]

"If Gollum gets it as one, then so should I. It's only fair." Caroline's blurted that out before she can stop herself. Don't tell a guy with a gun what is or isn't fair. Jesus, Caroline.

Well either way, she's due at least one more guess. "Would it be the One Ring then?" She blinks up at him. Look, I'm tiny and harmless, please don't decide to shoot me.

[confound]

The Riddler presses his lips into a very thin line and inclines his head, eyebrows raised. It's a Look. He's giving her a Look. His tone of voice is nothing if not amused, however. "I suppose I should at least abide by precedent."

He slowly shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no. One last guess."

The construction worker has ceased whatever it was he was doing that bothered Riddler so, so he has the relief of no longer having a gun against his skull. It's relief tinged with the knowledge the Riddler still might shoot him, but that applies to everyone, really. Especially the little red-haired riddle solver.

[sweet_caroline]

Well, that was close. Fuck, and she's all out of Tolkien-related guesses. Uh, well. Hopefully, she won't get a bullet to the brain when she inevitably gets it wrong. And for fuck's sake, Caroline, don't sass him again.

"Keys?" She knows it's wrong. It really doesn't matter. There's no getting this one right. She can only try to keep both the gun and the Riddler properly in her view, and hope she doesn't get shot.

[confound]

The Riddler considers that guess for a good long moment. "Mmmmm... no. Not even lukewarm, miss. You've missed by quite a long ways, in fact."

It's perfect timing that he hears a familiar voice shout, "Boss! We're good to go!"

He glances over his shoulder to see Benny and Trigger, bags slung over their shoulders and in their arms. Full bags. And not a moment too soon.

He stands, tucking his cane under his arm so he can reach into his suit pocket. He retrieves a small book and tosses it at her. It lands a few inches shy of her hands. Pocket Sudoku, 27th Edition. Then he tips his bowler hat to her before meandering away through (and occasionally over) the other hostages. He scoops the last bag of cash up, slings it over his shoulder, and leads his two henchmen right out the front door.

[sweet_caroline]

Caroline stares blankly at the puzzle book that lands in front of her. She's not dead, but he did throw the book at her. She lets out a quiet hysterical giggle.

Fortunately, the Riddler is swooping out the door with his ill-gotten money. For lack of anything better to do, she reaches for the book and pulls it to her. She expects crosswords, but gets... Sudoku.

She doesn't even like sudoku.