Birds of a Feather (Oswald Cobblepot)

Coffee and Chocolate

    With Renee, Barbara, and I officially in hiding, we lie around the hotel room we'd just checked ourselves into.

Barbara sighs as she dumps her bags down, "Ah, a home away from home!"

"Why couldn't we have just stayed with Veronica in her secret cave? Wouldn't that be safer?" Renee asks, throwing a bag onto the bed so that she can unpack it.

"Well, for starters I couldn't stand to sleep on the floor, plus, Natalie can't stand V," she counters.

I shake my head, "It's not that I can't stand Veronica, it's just that...our personalities don't clash. But Renee has a point, this hotel's one of the nicest in Gotham. People will know we're here, shouldn't we choose somewhere more discreet-"

"Oh, like those nasty motels in the Narrows you were recommending? I'd rather be killed by a Talon than die from contaminated bedsheets, thank you very much," Barbara snaps.

Renee leans against a nearby wall, clutching her shoulder, "Oh god...do we have anymore of the painkillers?"

I run over to one of the bags and open up a pocket. Grabbing the bottle, I hand it to Renee, "Here, but it's the last of it."

Barbara shrugs, "It's fine, I know where to get more. Don't worry about it."

She said that so nonchalantly, I have to wonder...

There's a knock at our door, startling all three of us. Backing away from Renee, I carefully edge my way toward the door, gesturing for the other two to get away from the door. I unplug the lamp off of the table, wielding it with both hands. With one swift kick, I knock open the door and swing the lamp, only to nearly hit Crispus.

"Woah! Take it easy!" he cries, holding his hands up,

I sigh, putting the lamp down, "Sorry, things have been...paranoid around here."

He nods as I back up to let him in, "Understandable. I just wanted to see if you guys were okay."

"Of course we're okay. Never been better," Barbara shakes her head, her tone harsh and sour.

Crispus raises an eyebrow, and gives an awkward chuckle, "Alright, that's cool. Also, I have something for you Natalie."

I perk up, turning to him, "Hm?"

He reaches into his pocket, "This was dropped off at your desk this morning by Penguin. When Ed arrived, he made a beeline for it and took it for awhile. Then afterwards he left a note with it, so, I figured I better give it to you. Ed confirmed it isn't poisonous, but he wouldn't say more."

Somewhat confused, I take the small box from Crispus's hand. It's a black box with a purple ribbon wrapped around it, with Ed's scruffled note tied onto the ribbon. I pull off the note and read it first:

Dear Nat,

I understand you're going through some troubled times as of late, and while you won't share them with me, I know you will persevere. Detective Allen has informed me that you will taking an early Christmas vacation; how he knows this strikes interest in me. Is he seeing you? I would quite like that, he's a good man and a suitable candidate for your affections. Anyway, I spotted this token lying on your desk. I don't know who it's from, but of course I had to investigate. Is your dilemma multiple suitors? Because this gift appears to be from another suitor, certainly not Detective Allen though. Regardless, don't worry, I tested one. They're not poisonous.

Sincerely,

Ed

Putting down the note, I open up the box. It's a collection of small chocolates, all in little individual slots. Chocolates? Oswald hasn't tried that before, but it's certainly his style. But why give them to me now?