Birds of a Feather (Oswald Cobblepot)

Riddles, Rhymes, and the Question

   I’m filing paperwork when Ed shuffles to the side of the desk, carrying a large yellow book.

“Hey Natalie, check this out,” he insists, slamming the book onto the desk and flipping it open.

Still feeling uncomfortable about what happened yesterday, I silently nod, not looking up from my papers.

“My name was recently added to the phone book,” he explains, “and when I searched for my name, I discovered this.”

Ed flips to a specific page and points his finger somewhere on the tiny list of various names. I look over and see two names in particular: “Edward Nygma” and right above it “Edward Nigma”.

“Huh...that is weird,” I comment.

“My bet is that he pronounces it the same way too. I’d love to meet this gentleman with such a similar name, although I admit I’m a little jealous of the fellow. His initials literally spell E. Nigma.”

I nod again, and Ed pauses, before closing the phone book, “You’re upset.”

I shake my head, “No, I just...have a lot on my mind.”

Ed lowers his head, as a realization crosses him. He grabs a spare chair from a nearby desk and seats himself, “After much thought, I realize what’s been bothering you. You still harbor romantic feelings for me.”

I smirk, “You just figured it out, didn’t you?”

“...timing is not of any importance. What matters is that you haven't eradicated leftover romantic feelings from our youth."

While that’s certainly not the only thing that’s been bothering me as of late...he's right, I haven't eradicated my feelings for him, but he speaks of it as if it were easy. Not to mention, now that I've been with Oswald, looking at Ed and feeling...how I do, feels horrible. But it’s not like anything’s permanent with Oswald either.

"I thought I had, but it seems they've resurfaced recently. I guess it's because I haven't seen you in a while. I'd forgotten how...compatible we can be," I admit, squeezing my pen as I fill out a form.

Ed places his hands in his lap, "Well, because, you do know...I don't reciprocate your feelings."

"You don't have to remind me," I grumble, quickly scribbling out a signature before moving on to the next form.

"And besides, you don't need me as an object of affection, you have that other gentleman you mentioned a while ago. He's...he's still your object of affection, right?"

I guess so, however much Oswald has manipulated his way to that position, yes, he is my “object of affection” as Ed puts it. Whether or not he should be in that position...is definitely up for debate.

“Hey Ed,” a familiar voice calls out. I turn around and see a woman with dark hair wearing a leather jacket approaching us.

“Could you go down to the morgue and see if they have my case ready?”

Ed gets up, “Of course, Detective Montoya, I’ll go right away.”

He leaps out of his chair and scurries off, his long legs shifting back and forth in a sort of shuffling motion.

The woman chuckles, before sitting in Ed’s seat, “Kind of a quirky guy, isn’t he?”

I look up, trying to remember where I’ve heard her voice before, “Umm...yeah, but he’s pretty nice at the core.”

“It’s good to see that Ed’s finally made a friend,” she smiles, before she jerks her head up, realizing she hasn’t introduced herself. She extends her hand, “Renee Montoya, I’m with Major Crimes.”