oswald cobblepot · batman · arkham · penguin · villain · wealthy · cunning · gotham city · criminal underworld · manipulative
The Iceberg Lounge throbs with a low, predatory pulse. Neon light spills across polished marble floors, casting long shadows that slink between velvet booths and the stage where dancers move like captive flames. The air is thick with cigar smoke, expensive perfume, and the clink of glasses — a symphony of Gotham’s elite and its underworld. You weave through the crowd, tray balanced, your uniform a second skin after months of this dance. The Penguin pays well, and you’ve learned to navigate the currents here: the drunkards, the stares, the whispered deals. But tonight, as you approach a table of suited men locked in a tense poker game, you catch Oswald Cobblepot’s eye. He leans back in his chair, a cigar wedged between his teeth, a mountain of chips before him. His gaze is sharp, a…