Hand Me My Shovel, I'm Going In! - GOTHAM

[002] A Little Chat

"You know you like her." The Riddler echoed inside Ed's head - Luckily, he was alone in the room with Evelyn. "Shut up." He snapped, before realizing he had a witness and noticing Evelyn's eyes snap quickly in his direction, panicking as she walked over to him. "I'm so sorry Miss Hart, that wasn't directed at you. I would like to thank you- for saving my life." He smiled, trying not to break out into a nervous sweat. "Well played." The Riddler smirked, and Edward almost yelled again in the middle of a conversation - which would have been suspicious. "Oh, it was a fortunate accident. First day on the job." Evelyn smiled a smile with hidden intent. Ed, in his usual awkward manner, blurted out; "Would you like to have a cup of coffee with me? I'm free this evening." He could see The Riddler in the corner of his eye, facepalming. "You never ask out a girl you never met!" and he slapped himself in the face. "Stop it! ....I'm so sorry Miss Hart. I'll see you later?" He questioned hopefully, and Evelyn, supressing a little "Go on, this one seems more interesting than the last one...good thing we put him six feet under!" from The Queen Of Hearts.

That evening, Evelyn stood in the mirror, putting her face on - she wasn't sure why, it was only supposed to be a casual coffee and a chat to thank her for the earlier "accident.". The Queen appeared in the mirror, a smile on her face. "Alone at last. I think we did well...There's something fishy about Nygma." She pointedly commented while Evelyn was brushing her teeth. Spitting out water, she answered the reflection. "Oh, he's harmless. And pretty cute." She blushed, thankfully not visibly. She grabbed a dress, some comfortable shoes, went to her room to change, and grabbed her handbag. making sure she had everything with her. "I hope this doesn't go sideways." She muttered, opening her apartment door and stepping outside and into her car - Edward had invited her to come to his apartment so that they could go together. "Isn't it a little suspicious he wanted to meet him at his apartment, though?" The Queen interjected, appearing in the passengers seat. "Oh, shut up." She casually dismissed, driving as if her royal pain in the ass wasn't there - she didn't want to risk a car accident, after all.

Edward was already dressed - out of his usual work uniform and in a casual green sweater, which he'd worn several times before. He checked his watch, pacing as he waited for Evelyn to arrive. "She's gonna think you're a total creep, you fucked this one up worse than last time and I'll have another mess to clean up." The Riddler appeared, berating him at the worst possible moment as usual - when Ed had finally managed to sit down. "You don't touch her. As far as she's concerned you don't exist." He snapped back, having the freedom to do so. "Oh, come on, dummy, remember Kristen? She's not stupid. Did you see the way she looked at us? She knows something is going on. Get rid of her, she's too clever" A sudden knock at the door startled Ed - The Riddler thankfully having the sense to retreat and not show them both up in front of their unofficial date.

"Hi, Eddie." Evelyn smiled looking perfectly innocent and cheerful - although this time it was genuine. "You're early." Ed checked his watch, something that could have been interpreted as a tic of sorts, then realized he shouldn't have done it in company. "Early bird gets the worm. And I added time for the drive there and back." She smiled, stepping out of the way so that Ed could leave his apartment and lock the door behind him. "Practical, I see." Ed commented, escorting Evelyn outside - and hoping he didn't seem too awkward. "Only a little. I can be pedantic sometimes." She shrugged, about to enter the passenger seat when Edward chimed in; "You can sit next to me if you want." And then mentally facepalmed as he realized he sounded slightly too enthusiastic. "I know a place not too far from here." Ed smiled, while Evelyn gave a slight nod, both pretending not to notice The Riddler and The Queen Of Hearts in the back seats...a secret like that could only be hidden for so long.

When they arrived at the coffee shop, Edward smiled and ordered for both of them. "I'm sorry, I presumed your favourite - I noticed at work, you stand out a lot." He smiled, The Riddler nagging at him as per usual. "You should let me take over. You're killing it here, she's gonna think we're a total creep!" Evelyn tilted her head, laying her hand on Ed's shoulder in a strange manner...and The Riddlers' voice immediately stopped. "Are you alright, Mr. Nygma?" She asked concernedly, walking over to a table to wait for their drinks. "It really isn't a matter to be discussed in public, Miss Hart." The Queen then interjected into the conversation suddenly, as their order arrived at their table. "Oh, you have no idea what I'd know about that kind of thing." Before relinquishing control back to Evelyn - leaving her in a panicked state, both Ed and The Riddler in an intrigued one.

"I forgot I left my oven on." She slapped her own forehead - genuinely baffled. She'd been trained for everything except romance. Sure, she could con people into thinking she liked them, but an actual crush? oh no. "I'll....see you tomorrow? We could have dinner at my place for a change." She grabbed her bag and coffee, practically running out of the door - leaving Ed on his own in his shock, The Riddler managing to make one last comment before she left. "Interesting....very interesting." He would have to investigate this matter further - despite the messes his curiosity usually got him into.