The Riddler wasn't certain whether he should be amused, or confused at the position of his captive the next morning. He had expected to open the door and find the girl angry and lashing out. Instead she was sound asleep, sprawled across the back of the couch, much the same way a cat would be. The fact that she hadn't removed the hood that covered her entire face, except for her eyes, intrigued him. Her adaptability and calm in the given situation impressed him. Reaching out, he placed a hand on her warm shoulder and gave her a shake.

It had been a gentle gesture. The response, however, was anything but gentle. Before he could blink, he was sucking in a pained breath through gritted teeth as the girl painfully twisted his arm behind his back. In her other hand she held a knife to his throat, the tip pricking into the soft flesh just next to his jugular. He could feel the curves and heat of her body as she wrapped around him, pressing her knee into his back, one leg wrapped around his waist holding her to him. Just as quickly, the hold was released and the knife was pulled away. Slowly turning, he faced the girl, tugging at his collar.

{I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to...} she began, bowing and speaking in a language he didn't understand. "I mean, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Do you have any idea what my men would have done if you harmed me?" he asked, waving to the two who stood at the door, looks of amazement on their face.

Looking around him, Dee gave a shrug. "Not much if they haven't even moved out of the doorway." She peered up into the Riddler's face, tilting her head. He looked and sounded familiar to her and she knew it wasn't just from the media she had seen. "My name is Xiaohu," she said giving her Triad name. Remembering her hood, she pulled it back, tugging her braid free. Giving him as brief an explanation as she could for her running into him, she ended by saying, "I need to get back right now. My friends are all in danger."

"Wait. You're Xiaohu?" The Riddler stroked his chin thoughtfully as he looked her up and down. She looked familiar, yet he couldn't place where he had seen her. "I've heard of you. Always thought you were Chinese. No matter. What's your real name?" he asked.

Dee's cheeks felt like they were on fire just then. She glared past him at the two men who had decided to remain in the doorway to keep her from escaping. "Send them away and I'll tell you."

With a snap of his fingers, the men disappeared, closing the door behind them. "Your name?"

Closing her eyes, Dee took a deep breath and recited. "'Accept this mistake, this predicament of life. She is of no use or concern to me. All she ever will be is trouble and a waste of time to everyone. I wash my hands of any and all responsibility of this dilemma.'"

The Riddler stood there for a moment, and then looked askance of her.

"You're the Riddler, you figure it out," she said. "That was the note left on me when I was dropped at the orphanage."

"Dilemma? They named you Dilemma?"

"D-e-e Lemma. Clever of them, no?"

A grin was spreading across the Riddler's face as he looked at the girl in front of him. The wider his smile became, the narrower her eyes got.

"Go ahead. Laugh. 'Ha ha. Oh how clever is that? The girl named "problem!"'" Fuming, she grabbed up her backpack, closing the pockets and elbowing the Riddler out of the way.

He grabbed her arm. "You don't seem to understand. I think it's a great name. I am, after all, E.Nigma." Turning her to face him, he put a finger under her chin. "I have a business proposition for you. I'm not certain on how much you want to go back to these 'friends' of yours. But if you would like, I'm placing the offer of joining my gang on the table. You'll get a cut of whatever we bring in. I could use someone with fighting skills like yours. And someone with a name such as yours belongs in this gang. You can be called 'Query.' Better than your name, certainly?"

The deal was tempting. "Yes," she heard herself say. Wait. "No. Yes. I...I have to go back. They have to know what's going on before anything bad happens."

"Ok, Kitten. I'll take you where you need to go. Benny and Trigger don't need to know anything else."
Next / Questionable Stripes Main / Triad Main