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Morquka sighed as she walked away at her brisk pace. "I knew I shouldn't have handed that entire fold to the man at the front desk." He searched his pockets for anything he could use as collateral and came up with 4 hundred dollar bills, his lighter, and his last cigar. There was of course the genuine 100% real gold necklace he wore around his neck with the last sliver of silver that survived his brother's death, but He'd never give that up for something like this. So he waited patiently and hoped he wouldn't have to use his strength to get out of here.

Luckily for Morquka, it would take the waitress a while before she could get back to him. While she bussied herself with trying to find some quartz and let the boss know that they had a "special" customer, a male attendant came walking towards Morquka's table. He was pushing a metal cart that had a large plat on it. On the plate was a broken up slab of concrete, divided into several triangle shapes. Easier to transport on the plate, and easier to guarantee that the heavy stone would not break the plate.

The man had, just about the same sort of look on his face that the waitress had. Skeptical... not sure if this was serious, or some sort of prank.

Regardless, he rolled the cart up to his customer. "Deb will be back down once she can gather the rest of your order, sir."


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Edmond, on the other hand, had a much shorter wait. The door opened not long after he arrived in the alley, and a bulky man stood on the other side. Clearly part of the muscle for the lounge. Tall, strong, scars and tattoos scattered over his arms and face. It was easy to assume that his "bouncer" was kept back here and the thinner men out front so that customers weren't scared off completely.

"Alright." the man said, his voice gruff. "Come inside. You'll have to wait in one of the VIP rooms until the boss can see to you." he said, then motioned for the man to step inside. He would be following behind him to make sure that the door locked back up.

The hall forked off three ways. Straight down the hall before him was what must have been the "VIP" section. There were several doors along those walls. A few of which were open and colored in a way that suggested customers were allowed more... private time.

To the left was a hall that led to another set of doors. These ones locked and labeled as though they were dressing rooms and closets. To the right was a hall that led straight to an elevator. One with an unusual panel beside it. Needed a key or card to be able to access it.

The guard followed him in, then made sure that Edmond took a seat. Satisfied that the guest wasn't going to be going anywhere or doing much, he turned and took a stance outside the doorway. Facing away from Edmond to give the guest some privacy.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink while you wait?" the man asked. He didn't figure the man was interested in having company from the waitresses, so he didn't ask if he wanted any of the girls.

Edmond relaxed in his chair and took his phone out. He looked around the room and then turned so that any camera would not see what he typed. It was a simple message to Emily informing her that he was in the VIP lounge waiting for Cobblepot and that she should wait till further notice before making any move for the office. Once he sent the message he replied to the guard

"I am fine." Edmond then turned his case and opened it using the back to keep whatever he was doing hidden from the cameras. He took the two pens he had brought them and slid them into his sleeves until he heard a very faint clicking noise. Then he closed the briefcase and relaxed. Now he was armed, and so he was calm.

Morquka paused as he realized the man was stuttering. "Calm down young man, I'm not going to harm you." And then Morquka finished off his concrete. He smiled and pulled out his last four hundred dollars. "This should cover the concrete. Unless this city's prices are much higher than the one I hail from. My Human name, or the identity I have created for myself over the course of my four hundred years of life is Morquka Efrika. I have a deal to honor now. I owe the men atthe front door something." And then he slowly and quitely moved out of his seat. He headed toward the stairs and said, "You can bet I'll be returning to this fine establishment In the future. Not many places would actually serve concrete to a customer who asked for it," and he smiled at the attendant. He turned to leave, but paused as he remembered one more thing, "Tell Deb that the next time I come here I'll be expecting her." and then he started to descend the stairs.

//// dying battery, back on again tomorrow ~ ////



The waiter watched as Morquka left his table and began descending the staircase. Very calmly, he turned to clean up the table and place the four-hundred dollars in his apron. Then he pulled out his tablet and wrote down what was paid and what it was paid for.

As... well as the man's description, name, stated age, approval of the resteraunt and service, and who he'd be asking for the next time he arrived. It was a usual little thing to jot down compliments and names of potential regular customers. But... in this case... a statement of everything while it was still fresh was a good idea.

The Boss would be wanting to know about this. It would be on the security cameras, but his voice wouldn't be.

Carefully, the man slipped the tablet back into his apron, and rolled the cart back the way he had come. As he arrived at the elevator, Deb stepped out. Empty handed, but she hadn't been able to go inside Cobblepot's office to ask about the gemstones. She DID however have the chance to tell Sammantha about the customer, who was allowed to go into the office.


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Cobblepot smiled and gave his guest a small nod. "I only hire the best. " he replied with a small smile. "Miss Coleshoot used to be part of a different dining establishment before some of the villainous activity here in Gotham destroyed the building."

It took Sammantha a little longer than usual to return to the room. Once she did, she was holding a tray full of glasses and a bottle of alcohol. With a frown, she entered the room and sat the tray down on the end of Cobblepot's desk. She gave the men a half-hearted smile, and motioned for them to wait just a moment. She then went straight over to Cobblepot and leaned down to whisper something to him.

After a moment, Oswald frowned himself. "Have them fill out a form..." he muttered back to her. "...then bring it back up to me. As long as he doesn't cause any trouble, let him leave on his own."

Sammantha nodded, then hurried back out the door.

"I apologize." Oswald said to the men. "Miss Coleshoot needs to run a few errands. Feel free to pour yourself a glass of however much you want. I'm afraid I'm a little shorthanded on attendants tonight. My usual two are.... indisposed at the moment." he said, tacking a small frown onto the later part. Emily had left abruptly with a bleeding back and gave herself the rest of the night off. Usually she only did that when she was upset or it was something she absolutely needed to do. She had worked with broken bones several times before, so Cobblepot rarely questioned when she did take a night off. And Natalia, whom Oswald suspected was responsible for Emily's injuries, was still in the private room with Vandal Savage. They had been in there for... quite some time. Too long, almost. He would have to see about that issue once he had finished up with these men... and the man whom he'd just been informed he had a meeting with.

"I've also just been informed that I have another customer and a very unusual diner. I will have to see to both right after our meeting. So, unfortunately, as you said time is of the essence. What can I do for you gentlemen?" he asked.

(Enter from New York City)

Morquka stood in the alleyway in front of the Iceberg Lounge. "This is it brother. We'll have to speak to the men at the front before being let in. And remember they don't allow weapons..." Morquka said before leading His brother across the ruined street to the front of the building, "Hello Again. I'd like to dine in again. This is my older brother. Rorque Efrika." Rorque looked to Morquka and then to the humans before saying, "My younger brother informed me of the quality of both food and service this establishment offers, and I decided that I would like to come here and experience the place for myself." Even as polite as he was being there was something very off putting about the man. Something scary. The fact that he was Morquka's brother and the fact that mere moments before Morquka had left this city in true form meant that Rorque was also a giant of sorts hiding in human form.