Gods Among Men The Iceberg Lounge

Saarai

Lord of Bondage and Pain
Benefactor
The seat of power of Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot's criminal enterprise, the Iceberg Lounge is a renowned Jazz club. Popular with politicians, celebrities, and criminals, it's become the go-to club on the east coast.
 
"I'm not going anywhere until you give me what you promised." Harvey Two-Face said to the rotund man seated in a throne in front of him.

They were in a VIP booth overlooking a stage down in the Iceberg Lounge, a Jazz singer and her band working the crowd. The woman was a beautiful blonde, the fat man couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"Stay as long as you want, Dent. Just don't say anything you'll regret. You're talking to Oswald Cobblepot, my name means something in this city." The chubby man told Two-Face, prompting him to snarl.

"It'll mean a lot less if you keep dicking me around, fat man. Remember, my name is my name too." Two-Face threatened, the two Gotham crime bosses staring each other down.

Their respective crews could see the tension, ready at any moment to do battle.

"I'll get your goods to you, Dent. But, you owe me." Cobblepot told him, "I'm glad we could come to an agreement." Two-Face said.
 
Bruce's limousine came to a stop in front of the Iceberg Lounge, he peered out of the tinted windows to see people he was friends with as Bruce Wayne. But, like everything that came with being Bruce Wayne is all a front. They were 'friends' in the same way an undercover cop was friends with drug dealers. It was a cover, an identity. Kate was the only person in the building that he could call an actual friend.

Morgan got out of the limo, quickly moving to open Bruce's door to let him out. "Park the limo and then come find me inside. What's a billionaire without his bodyguard?" Bruce said to Morgan as climbed out of the back seat, "A billionaire can give me a raise, right?" Morgan asked, "You live in my mansion and eat all of my food. I think you'll be fine with your salary." Bruce said, walking off to enter the club.

"Good evening, Mr. Wayne." The club's host said, a young woman with a smile that seemed to grow brighter at the sight of Bruce Wayne. He didn't seem to be aging, and he was single, it made sense. "I'm waiting for someone to come inside. You'll know them when you see them. Where's my cousin, Kate Kane?" He asked, "VIP section 5 right above the bar." The host told him.

"Thank you." Bruce said, making his way through the room. The club was packed, that wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the blonde woman on the stage singing a Jazz song. Bruce didn't know which song, he wasn't listening but he found himself staring at the woman. She stared back. Bruce smirked, continuing on his way.

Up a staircase and through a few more rooms, and finally he found his cousin. There she was at a table, red sequins dress and short ginger hair. Any man would be lucky to have Kate Kane. Unfortunately for them, she didn't swing that way.

"Dressed to kill?" Bruce asked her, taking a seat across from the woman. "You don't like killing, so I'm dressed to maim." Kate answered, "So, what's up?" The billionaire asked.

"Where do I start?"
 
Aries soon came up to the lounge, pulling up into an empty stall, though he still wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do. There was a chance he would get arrested for stalking the billionaire, but he was done with being subtle. It was time to be proactive and deal with the consequences if any happened to occur. He sighed and shut his bike off, sliding off it with a slight stretch of his body. He placed the helmet over the handlebars and moved towards the front of the building, glancing around cautiously.

"Alright, you can do this." A little pep talk and Aries was moving towards the front door, entering inside with a slight gape of the jaw, having not seen anything like the club's interior before.
 
"Can I help you, sir?" The host asked Aries, giving him a once-over. He was underdressed for the Iceberg Lounge, but he wouldn't be the first person in Gotham to stand out. He did seem normal. Normal was nice. "Are you looking for anyone? Do you have a reservation? If not, there are seats at the different bars. You can still order food and drink." The host told Aries.

She turned, gesturing inside to the bar areas. "If you're lucky, you can find a seat to steal close to the stage."
 
The hell was he thinking? He was going into a strange place without a plan to speak with a man who made it clear that he had no desire to speak with him. Did he really think that things would change by him just showing up? Running his fingers through his dark hair, he sighed heavily and glanced over towards the female, flashing her a charming smile. "No reservation, miss. I'm just looking for someone. Thank you though." Moving away from her, he cased the joint as he made his way towards the bar, needing to find out where Bruce was sitting and figure out a way to get to him.
 
"There's a war coming to Gotham." Kate told Bruce, "There's always a war coming to Gotham." Bruce said to the woman, "Yeah, but this one is going to explode. Roarke and Dent have been at odds since that incident last year, and Roarke is bold, violent, he keeps provoking Two-Face." Kate said, waving down a passing waitress.

"Wine. White. Two glasses." The redheaded socialite said to the waitress, waiting until she was well on her way before speaking again. "Dent came here the other night to buy weapons from Penguin. A war reserve, Bruce."

Bruce nodded, "We'll have to get Roarke and Dent to stop the war. Come to agree on a truce. Easier said than done. If Two-Face is buying weapons from Penguin, they kind of hate each other, then things could get really explosive." He told his cousin.

A waitress came to the bar near Aries, flagging down the bartender. "Two glasses of white wine. It's for Ms. Kane and Mr. Wayne upstairs." She told him, "Ever notice that their names rhyme?" The bartender asked jokingly, "Just get it done, my break is coming up."
 
Thanks to the waitress, he now knew where Bruce was at, but still had no idea how to get to him. Exhaling, he knew that drinking wouldn't help anything, but he was in desperate need to calm his nerves. Finally deciding on some whiskey, he waited for the bartender to finish up with the glasses of white wine before musing a little bit. Leaning over to the waitress, Aries flashed her a charming smile and tilted his head a little. "You need someone to run that up to Mr. Wayne and his guest? I'd be happy to do that and you can go take that break you so desperately need. How about it" He tried to be as smooth and savvy as possible, but that wasn't always his strong point.
 
"I don't know if Mr. Cobblepot would like that." The waitress said, but she did really need her break. The need for nicotine always got to her eventually.

"Cobblepot's not here and we're really busy tonight." The bartender said. "You look like a student or someone new to Gotham." He said to Aries as he poured two glasses of wine.

The bartender sat them on a tray, "I could set you up with a part-time position here if you think you'll need it." He said, pushing the tray in front of the young man.

"Show me what you got."
 
"I'm not a student, but I am definitely new. Might hit you up for that part-time job. We'll just have to wait and see." Aries flashed another grin and slid to his feet, straightening out his leather jacket before taking the tray in his hand, balancing it just like he saw other waiters and waitresses doing. Nodding his head, he moved off to where Wayne and his guest was at, not really nervous, but a little apprehensive. Swallowing hard as he neared his target, he shifted the tray into the other hand and wondered if maybe he should have put on a waiter's jacket, but that was a thought that did him little good at the moment.

"Two glasses of white whine for Mr. Wayne and Ms. Kane?" He managed, trying to be as professional as possible as he sat down each glass in front of the two. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"
 
"I think we're good for now." Kate said, catching the grin on Bruce's face as he looked at their waiter. "Bruce, you okay?" She asked.

He had a grin on his face. He recognized Aries and he admired the young man's audacity.

Morgan, Bruce's driver and bodyguard approached Aries from behind, waiting for the signal to toss the man out on his ass.

"You, pull up a seat. Time for your first interview." Bruce told Aries, "Is this one of those Bruce things where I'll be in the dark the whole time?" Kate asked.
 
"Yes, sir." Finally! He was finally getting a break! Aries sat the tray down beside him as he pulled up a chair, following orders very well. He tried to sit as straight as possible and fidget, but he was pretty nervous about what questions he was going to be asked. His gaze shifted towards Ms. Kane and he just smiled at her before returning his attention towards Bruce. He could feel the bodyguard looming behind him, but wasn't truly bugged about it. He did some bodyguard work in school and knew he was just doing his job.

"I really appreciate this opportunity."
 
"Alright, kid, what's this business you want to discuss while you have me here?" Bruce asked Aries, "Make this time count, you might not get this chance again." The billionaire informed the younger man. "Oh, business. Also known as stuff I don't really want to hear." Kate said, standing up slowly. "I'm going to go flirt with the hostess, I'll be back if it doesn't work out."

"And if it does?" Bruce asked Kate, "Don't wait up for me." Kate answered, walking away from the table. "I find it ironic that I'm the one asking when she's going to settle down. Usually everyone asks me that." Bruce told Aries, "Alright, let's get to it."
 
Aries nodded his head in respect to Ms. Kane as she excused herself from the table, leaving only him and the looming mass behind him. He swallowed hard and cleared his throat, hands remaining relaxed in his lap, not quite sure if it was appropriate to put them on the table. If he messed this up, he would have no other chance to get into Wayne Enterprises and that just wasn't acceptable at all. Mostly because it meant he would have failed and would end up losing the place he was renting and while it wasn't a fantastic place, it was still a roof over his head.

"Right, then. I first want to thank you for this opportunity. I'm Aries Cyric and I believe that I would be a good fit in your company. I'm not just streetwise, but I am also very business oriented and know what it's like to deal with things that are difficult and with people that can be a slight threat to the company. I uhh..." Aries trailed off a moment before pulling out a flash drive, placing it on the table. "This explains everything a lot better than I ever could and I am asking that you take a look at it and contact me if you're interested." Man, he really sucked at interviewing.
 
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Bruce eyed the flash drive for a moment, and then he eyed Aries. "I'll give it a look, and then I'll find you if I think we have anything to discuss." The billionaire said.

"You're clearly very determined. You might be useful."
 
"Right, I appreciate this opportunity and if I am given a chance, know that it will not be squandered, at all. I look forward to speaking with you again." Aries smiled, knowing that he did all he could and that it would be up to Bruce to determine if he was worth taking a chance on. Reaching out his hand for a handshake, he would give a firm confident one if Mr. Wayne took his hand. "I'm quite determined in all things that I put my mind to, but I am also a very quick learner. I will leave you to your business then." Aries paused a moment, not getting up until he was dismissed, not wanting to seem rude.
 
"Business is over." Bruce said, reaching out to take Aries' hand. "Stick around, have a drink." He said, slipping the flash drive away as he stood up.

"On my tab, of course." He told Aries, "We'll be in touch." The billionaire said, nodding to his bodyguard before heading out of the room.
 
"Thank you, sir." Aries smiled as Bruce left him at the table, the millionaire moving off with his bodyguard. He remained where he was at for a few minutes, keeping a tight control on his breathing and his motions just in case he was still being watched. After a few minutes, he slid back to his feet and made his way back down to the bar, handing the tray back to the bartender.

"Thanks again for letting me do that. Mr. Wayne said I could have a drink on his tab, so could I get a whiskey on the rocks?" He questioned, running his fingers through his dark hair.
 
"Right away." The bartender told Aries, "So, why'd you want to get so close to Wayne?" He asked as he moved to prepare the drink, "You his illegitimate son or something?"

The bartender returned with Aries' whiskey, placing it down in front of him. "Need a loan?" He asked.
 
Aries was grateful for the whiskey, needing it to calm hi nerves a little. Who would have thought that speaking to someone like Bruce Wayne would get his nerves all atwitter. Laughing at the question, he just shook his head, wondering what it would even be like to be a son, illegitimate or not of Bruce. Taking the whiskey, he took a long drink before setting down the glass in order to answer the questions.

"Not an illegitimate child of his unless my mother was keeping a secret from us all. I don't really need a loan, just trying to get my foot in the door so to speak. I'd like to be able to support my younger sister so that she can keep dancing." Aries shrugged a little, fingers running through his hair before he sipped on the whiskey. "Maybe I should have gone the son route, but that would have busted in my face the moment we did a paternity test." Aries laughed a little, shaking his head.
 
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