Welcome to Gaia! ::

It didn't take long at all for Oswald to make his way to the balcony overlooking his Lounge. He paused there, tapping the end of his umbrella on the marble floor by his feet, and looked out to better inspect the damage done, or not done, to his business.

Oswald was just about to walk across his Lounge towards Doom and several of the others when his pocket began buzzing. He paused and glanced down at the corner of his jacket for a moment before slipping his gloved hand in to pull out his phone. This phone he had reserved for only certain kinds of calls or customers. So naturally he couldn't just ignore a call or text without at least glancing to see the level of importance it may hold.

Oswald stood there a moment and read over the text and the number several times. He had yet to input the caller's ID, but after thinking for a moment about the “Rebecca” that was under his employment, he quickly put together that it was Savage. He had visited just last night, and had taken the woman home with him for the night.

And....if memory served him correctly...he wasn't sure just how to respond to the text as far as the nature of her employment went. Yes...she was under contract. And yes...she was repaying a debt of sorts. Though...not her own. He had several employees who had someone close to them formerly employed to the Penguin. They did not do well, and by the level of their failure should be eradicated. But the new employees took it upon themselves to try to make up for the others mistake and work out their debts. Most he used “out in the field”...but the women he tended to let work in the Lounge. Usually until they were too old to be attractive in their work attire.

”A bit of both...” he began punching in. ”She is among my employed that have taken it upon themselves to make up for another former employees shortcomings. In her case...several members of her immediate family.” With that, he sent the text back to Savage. He wasn't sure exactly why he was inquiring about such a thing, but explanation may come up in a return text. He pocketed his phone again and turned his head back around to watch his guests.

...he remembered the girl's family. Such a pity...but things tended to go such a way in Gotham. Father couldn't hold down a decent job, so he turned to crime for hire. He should have moved elsewhere. The older sons took up his line of work as well. Butchered a job. Simply butchered it. The ones that weren't taken by the Bat were never found. The oldest daughter took what money the father owed Oswald and ran off with it...and the man drank away the rest. The son that had lived got out of jail and was back to crime he believed. Yes? Mh...yes he was. Still butchering jobs. He now ran every time there was a Bat sighting. The mother was trying to raise two more young children while Rebecca gave them half of whatever money she earned.

...poor girl would probably be working for the Penguin for the rest of her life. But...that's business. Especially here in Gotham.

Jai-Li looked up a bit, staring at her where ever her eyes fell. She smiled. "I can seem to figure out where my violin case fell. Unfortunately, I have trouble finding nonliving object."

Squirrel Girl, momentarily preoccupied with the arrival of Jai-Li, nonetheless looked to Doom.

"Well, going by what happened last time... He probably won't go there. And his Corps spread out all over the place before his arrival, killing people and making more Black Lanterns. Then they congregated at Coast City when he arrived, and then summoned the Life Entity..."

Her eyes went wide. "Wait, that's it! The Life Entity!"

"Well..." Doreen replied, her tail moving from side to side. "See, in the universe the Lanterns are from, the Life Entity is a physical manifestation of Life itself. The first time Nekron rose to power, he summoned the Entity with a sacrificial ritual and then attacked it, trying to destroy it and wipe out all life in their universe in the process. Pretty obvious, but... He failed. Barely. It's... It's an incredible gamble, but if we could summon the Entity, or maybe somehow trick Nekron into thinking it was summoned, we can get him to Monte Cristo where his forces won't be able to hurt innocents, hopefully."

"Ah..." Doreen said, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, they lured one of the Guardians of the Universe to Earth and used him as a blood sacrifice. And those guys are really hard to kill, normally. Blue midgets with almost god-like command of the Green Light of Willpower."

She was also informed of another player using Punisher, and with a symbiote attached to him... Scary stuff. Probably wasn't a good idea to mess with them. Plus that female Bat had that one covered, her writer said to her.

A gentle, grandfatherly voice spoke into Doom's mind.

"Greetings, Victor von Doom. I am Ganthet, a former Guardian of the Universe, now acting as a co-founder and Guardian of the Blue Lantern Corps. I do believe you have already encountered one of my Lanterns: Elasa Atu'me. Please, do not be alarmed, I am speaking within your mind."

Jai-Li smiled widely at Firestar. "Thank you." She reached her hand out towards the woman.