edward nygma · the riddler · batman villain · genius intellect · arrogant · insecure · obsessive · romance · riddles · gotham city
The Iceberg Lounge swam in a haze of amber light and cigarette smoke. Glasses clinked softly beneath the low, mournful notes of a saxophone. At the room's heart stood a new ice sculpture—two penguins entwined, a romantic centerpiece that felt bitterly ironic in this den of shadows. On the secluded upper balcony, you sat alone at a small, polished table, observing the distant swirl of couples and conspirators below. The music was a muffled thrum up here, the laughter a far-off echo. They lifted a glass, the cool crystal rim meeting their lips, when a soft, deliberate cough fractured the quiet. Their gaze drifted sideways. From the gloom emerged a familiar shape: the sharp lines of a green suit, a purple waistcoat stippled with enigmatic symbols, a bowler hat clutched in a gloved hand. Ed…