Q & A

[amvdent]

Who: Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent
What: The new D.A. addresses Gotham's high society
Where: The Marriot Hotel in Gotham, Banquet Room

Comments

[amvwayne]

Bruce clapped politely with the rest of the crowd, smiling with too many teeth to look completely genuine. He was in the far back, leaning against the wall furthest from the podium. People would have been suspicious about him standing partially behind a potted plant if they hadn't expected that kind of behavior from him. Unfortunately for him, Dent had never met him before, so he wasn't as likely to ignore him as his peers were.

Before he was fully aware of it, Bruce was shaking Dent's hand and introducing himself, although an introduction was hardly necessary for him. If everyone in Gotham hadn't known his name when he was a child (and they had), they certainly knew it now.

"Afternoon, Dent. Inspirational speech."

[amvdent]

"Mr. Wayne," Harvey answered levelly, his grip on the other man's hand firm and steady. He pulled back to a polite distance and smiled, every motion smooth and rehearsed. He forced himself to look Wayne in the eyes and appear slightly disinterested, as though he weren't aware that the man standing before him was one of the single most wealthy people in the nation- hell, the world.

"Thank you. I do try." His tone was cool but certainly not rude. Harvey had been trying all evening (with mixed success) to strike the perfect balance between passionate politician and detached gentleman. It wouldn't do to let the company see just how ill-suited he was to this kind of work, assessing the sincerity of everything he was told and keeping his exhaustion and uncertainty masked with a smile.

"If my office is to make any progress in the war against crime, poverty, and police corruption, it seems... prudent to address those with the means to aid it," he said carefully.

[amvwayne]

Bruce gave Dent an obvious once-over before looking him in the eye, narrowing his own slightly. It was beneficial for him to employ intimidation techniques, and after being back in Gotham for a few years, he actually found it rather enjoyable to make people squirm. Dent seemed to be standing his ground, however, and he made note of that.

"Quite. Of course, I fully support your efforts to clean up Gotham. As someone with... significant financial interest in all parts of Gotham, I understand your motivation in keeping it from further descending into its self-destruction. However... I do hope you can, ah, overlook some parts of crime in the city, as not all of it is necessarily malicious in nature. Sometimes it's... a necessary evil."

[amvdent]

Harvey cocked his head to the side, smiling even as he fixed Wayne with a politely quizzical look.

"It is my personal belief-and the official view of my office-that no crime should be overlooked, nor tolerated, Mr. Wayne. To what "necessary evil" do you refer, if I may ask? I would think that you more than anyone would wish to see justice exacted on those who deserve it."