checking in

[searchingfordistraction]

There's so much to do and see in Gotham, why waste his time tracking down a phone number when Bryce Wayne's penthouse is the most well-known private residence in the city?

The security is also an infinite improvement over some of what he's encountered lately. He examines it from afar for a little before he decides to just do this the polite way.

Well. The relatively polite way. He's not exactly immaculate after three days' wandering. Easier to let himself get spotted openly scoping out the security than to try to talk his way into the building.

Comments

[searchingfordistraction]

He's allowed himself to be captured by worse. At least the guard isn't so inept as to make this whole thing embarrassing for everyone involved, but then Jim had expected the security here to be a cut above the standard accepted level of competence.

Once definitively caught, he is entirely meek and not a little sulky. Whatever he'd signed up for, his body language strongly implies, this is not it.

[gothamsheiress]

That afternoon, when Bryce finally makes it home, she stops by the front desk as a matter of routine.

"Hey, Nick, how's it going?"

[gothamscitizens]

"'Nother day another dollar, Miss Wayne."

[gothamsheiress]

"Anything I should know about?"

[gothamscitizens]

Nick shrugs.

"Eh, one guy this afternoon causin' a ruckus in here. Nothing for you to worry about."

[gothamsheiress]

Her eyebrows go up.

"What kind of a ruckus?"

[gothamscitizens]

"Ah, nothing we couldn't handle," he says with a wave of dismissal. "Some crazy little Irish guy."

[gothamsheiress]

Bryce blinks.


Demanding to see a detained intruder is somewhat unusual behavior, but she does own most of the building; it doesn't take long for her to convince Nick to take her back to the security office.

[searchingfordistraction]

He's still slumped sulkily where he was left. He's been unforthcoming with any kind of information, but he's also not any kind of threat, so he's mostly been left to stew.

The only reaction he offers when Bryce comes in is to meet her eyes briefly with a look only she can know is on the conspiratorial side.

[gothamsheiress]

She rolls her eyes and folds her arms.

"Well."

[searchingfordistraction]

He lets the sheepish persona drop and grins up at her.

"I forgot to get your number," he says.

[gothamsheiress]

The head of security -- an older man who looks like he's going to need a cigarette after this -- looks between them suspiciously.

Bryce sighs. "He's a friend of mine." Lowering her voice: "He's not totally well. I'll take charge of him and make sure he gets back to where he needs to be."

[searchingfordistraction]

Jim looks oblivious to this description. He also looks perfectly harmless, blinking under the head of security's scrutiny.

[gothamsheiress]

It takes a little more convincing than that, but eventually Bryce turns back to Jim.

"Okay, Jim, come on upstairs and you can get cleaned up."

[searchingfordistraction]

He brightens and gets to his feet.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble," he says, soft-spoken and clear, to the head of security.

[gothamsheiress]

"Yeah, well, keep your nose clean," he replies, and shows them the door.

Bryce takes Jim's elbow as they head for the elevators.

"Having a good time?"

[searchingfordistraction]

He maintains the slightly submissive stance for the benefit of the security cameras, which are undoubtedly being monitored right now, but his voice is brightly cheerful as he answers.

"Splendid. Gotham is quite the complex little organism."

[gothamsheiress]

Dry: "It is that."

[searchingfordistraction]

"Scarcely a dull moment," he assures her.

"And how are things going on your end?"

[gothamsheiress]

Very dry: "I had to make some truly creative excuses for you running out on me."

They reach the elevator and she lets go of his elbow to rummage in her purse for a key card.

[searchingfordistraction]

"I'm sorry to have missed them."

He's sure it was passingly entertaining, for a moment or two.

[gothamsheiress]

"Sure."

The elevator arrives, and she swipes her card to take them up to the penthouse. When the doors ding shut, she leans against the wall and folds her arms, looking Jim over.

"Where have you been keeping yourself?"

[searchingfordistraction]

"Oh, here and there. Staying in one place too long is boring."

And, in Gotham, in the circles Jim has been travelling in, a bit foolhardy. He can handle any trouble he attracts, but that doesn't make it any less inconvenient.

[gothamsheiress]

"And you'll be heading back to the bar after this?"

[searchingfordistraction]

"In a few days," he says. "I don't want to miss all the fun."

Even if he hadn't seen the movie, he'd still know something was up. The rumblings sparked in Gotham's underworld by the Joker's crashing that meeting have been spreading, audible to anyone who knows how to decipher them. And Jim has been listening.