002 [Audio]

[consultcriminal]

[Jim's going to pretend that he wasn't asleep for a while. That just makes things easier. And less weird...]

Who is really running this ship? I want to say schoolchildren, but honestly, I've seen children act better than this. And I was under the impression that wardens were supposed to be the "good guys."

It's just like being at home.

[Private to E. Nygma]

You didn't tell me what you learned.

[Private to Bruce]

One might think that a warden would want to contact his inmate. But...I could be wrong?

Comments

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[Jim turned and put a hand on his chest, looking wounded.]

We've only just met. Surely you can woo me better than that if you want information.

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

[ He's totally unfazed by that reaction. The Joker did worse to him. ]

If I am, then I'll actually try.

Answer, Mister Moriarty. Or is it too difficult a question for your vast intellect?

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

Moving to insults already. [Jim turned his attention back to his computer. He really didn't appreciate this meeting, but he wasn't annoyed yet. He found it simply...useless.]

Give me my file and I will answer your questions.

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

If you consider that an insult, your skin is remarkably thin.

No. [ Headtilts. ] And you just answered one of them.

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[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[Jim didn't even look at him.] Then what is this meeting for? [He typed a few commands onto his laptop idly and brought up Solitaire. Bored. Bored. Bored.]

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[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

[ Very gently, he reaches over and presses a hand on top of Moriarty's laptop. Then, he slams it down hard enough that the sound echo around the room. ]

A getting-to-know you session. Let's not forget our manners.

Shall we set the terms, Jim, or would you rather we play another game of 'avoiding the question'?

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[Jim pulled his hands away just in time and rose a brow, laughing.]

Well, well....warden's got some bite. GOOD. I like that. [He turned in his chair to finally face him, leaning his chair back and pressing his fingers together in his lap.]

Enlighten me with your terms, then. [He kept his smirk.]

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

[ There's a long, quiet moment when Bruce pauses, watching Moriarty and doing nothing- before he leans in, in, trespassing into the other man's personal space. His smile is too sharp, and all the niceties fall away. Bruce falls away, and only the Bat is left behind, menace and danger clear in ice blue eyes, in every inch of his skin. Looking at his inmate like he's a prey just waiting to be swallowed.

When he speaks, it's almost- almost the Bat's growl. But not quite. ]

If you like bite, I'm sure you'll love me.

[ Then, abruptly, he leans back as if nothing happens. ]

First rule, under no circumstances are you allowed to take a life, whether directly or indirectly. Do you need a clarification on that?

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[Jim wasn't fazed by the threat. When Bruce leaned in, Moriarty stayed still, regarding him with a quiet, almost lazy, expression. He had done the same thing to many people before, though not usually in person. He never really had to.

The rule, though, wasn't difficult to follow. He had no intention of following it, of course. He merely shook his head.]

It seems clear enough. Tell me another rule.

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

[ Oh, he doesn't expect him to be intimidated so easily, or for him to follow Bruce's rules. That will be far too easy, won't it?

That's fine. Bruce already knows how to deal with that. Contingency plans, right? He smiles slightly. ]

Second rule, you'll meet me at the end of every day and tell me everything that happened. I want a full, complete report. The only exception is if you are in a Barge coma, or dead.

If you miss out anything, I will know.

[ He knows that Moriarty won't follow that either. He just wants to know what will he miss out. ]

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

Oh you will? That's a relief. [He also had no intention of doing that, either. He reported to no one. People reported to him. And there was no way he was going to do that to this man. Certainly not when some random "Admiral" had arbitrarily assigned them together.]

Next?

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

There's nothing else.

[ His smile slips right back to the Bat, and there's a pause before he cocks his head to the side. ]

I forgot to mention. For every infraction, I'll release to the public a portion of your file. Which portion and how much is my decision. When I'll release it, and the method, is also up to me.

If you don't break the two rules, you can stay Jim.

Are we clear?

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[Something seemed to break, just a little, inside Jim. He stared up at Bruce coldly, if only briefly, before that smirk returned.]

You act as if I have a need to stay this way. As if I like being Jim. I do it because it's fun.

[And to keep his identity from Sherlock. At least for now. He turned towards his laptop.] My file. Show it to me.

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

[ At least that will ensure his obedience. At least for a little while - he's not so stupid to think that this will last forever. ]

I don't care if you follow the rules due to necessity or for the sake of keeping your entertainment, Jim. As long as you do.

[ He smirks a little, and spins the file in his hands until it's facing Moriarty, and he hands it over to him. ]

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[Jiim took it from him idly before scanning the contents. He knew what it would say. There was nothing in it that's a surprise, but it's not that he wanted. It's not the information he was after. He just wanted the layout. If Eddie wanted a file, then Jim was going to give him one.

But that left one question. He wouldn't ask it outright, of course, but he would watch. Handing him back the file, Jim opened his laptop once more.]

I think we're finished here. [A clear dismissal.]

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

You must be used to ordering people around.

[ It's a casual remark as he reaches forward and very slowly closes the laptop again. ]

But so am I, and I say we're not done here. Come. [ He stands, turns and looks at Jim. ]

Let's take a walk.

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[Annoyed, he leaned back, weighing his options. He didn't want to go, but it seemed easier if he did. It would just be less hassle.]

I do have things that require my attention. [But he did stand and opened his laptop only to shut it down properly. He had valuable information there.]

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

Of course. [ He looks back at him for a long moment, observing, analyzing. ] But I'm at the top of your priority.

[ Matter-of-fact. At the same time, he's walking towards the door, swinging it open. ]

You haven't been up to the deck. [ Not even a question. ] But that can wait.

We'll play chess in the common room.

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[Jim almost corrected him. He had been up on deck already, but he didn't care enough to tell Bruce that. It would just remain his little secret. He could pretend to be surprised. Again.]

Chess in the common room. How thrilling. [He sighed a bit dramatically.]

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

You disagree?

[ He's careful to keep a close watch on his inmate out of the corner of his eye. The ship isn't that big, and he's been through a few rounds of it - enough to memorize the route and not even have to look very carefully to navigate his way to one of the common rooms. ]

We can play bullet chess, then.

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

What if I don't know how to play chess? What would you do then? [He laughed again and headed out. Like his warden, he knew the layout of the ship well enough. Not the warden-only levels, of course. But the rest of the Barge had been explored, even if only in a cursory sense.]

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

Do you expect me to believe that you don't?

[ And he has one eyebrow raised, stopping just to turn around and fixing Moriarty with a sharp, serious look. He might be still using most of his Brucie facade when compared to 'Bruce' and the Bat, but it doesn't mean that he's going to let Moriarty think he's stupid.

It'll defeat the point. ]

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

No. That's not what I expect of you. [As they wandered the corridor, he kept his hand in his pockets and took his own time, walking slowly. He wasn't going to hurry for any man. Let alone his warden.]

[Spam forever!]

[fivestepsahead.livejournal.com]

[ He doesn't mind. A hunter has patience, and besides- he has waited far longer on rooftops for mobsters to gather, or for shipments to come in. Just standing there and waiting for Moriarty to catch up isn't a chore.

Besides, he's half-certain that the man is only trying to assert his own semblance of power, in what way or another. ]

We come back to this question.

What do you expect of me?

[Spam forever!]

[consultcriminal.livejournal.com]

[He chuckled, giving Bruce a penetrating look.] Not much. I have very little faith in you.

[Shrugging once, he continued along, glancing towards the common room they approached.]

And judging by the rest of the wardens, 'not much' is exactly what I'm going to get.