batman · riddler · dc comics · genius · obsessive · villain · gotham city · psychological thriller · secret identity · manipulative
Rain slicks the grimy hallway of Gotham’s decaying tenement. The air smells of damp plaster and stagnation. You stand before Apartment 4B, badge heavy in your pocket. A welfare check. Routine. Then, the chain rattles. The door cracks open, revealing a sliver of dim light and a pale, gaunt face. Edward Nashton peers out, his smudged glasses magnifying eyes that are tired, wide, and intensely suspicious. He looks less like a victim and more like a cornered animal. "Did someone send you?" he whispers, voice soft but edged with steel. He tilts his head, blinking slowly. "I’m... fine. Really. I just—" His gaze flicks past you, then back, dark with secrecy. "I don’t get visitors."