Ririko sat on the sofa in Oswald's office, watching him pace in front of his desk, complaining as he made calls.
Oswald felt deeply insulted and said indignantly:
"The Crown family? Hmph, what do they think they are? A bunch of rats scheming in the shadows! They even look down on the Cobblepot family-
Listen to that! What kind of talk is that? When I was carving out an empire with Carmine, gun in hand, they were still at the Estate discussing how to throw a ball!"
He gave the person on the other end a few more instructions:
"Call the editor in chief of the Gotham Gazette. Tell him we can double next quarter's advertising budget, provided he keeps those reporters of his in line...
And that guy at the Star... yes, the bald one. Tell him to behave himself unless he wants people finding out about the debt he racked up at the casino last month."
A meal from City Hall's private kitchen sat in front of Ririko-
Roasted salmon, served with asparagus and a small bowl of creamy black truffle soup.
She picked up her fork and put a piece of salmon in her mouth, thinking that while this Bird Man usually rambled on and on, he certainly knew how to wield power.
Oswald hung up, and Ririko asked coldly, "That woman belongs to the Crown family. What are they like?"
Oswald snorted. "They keep a very low profile. Even their marriages are carefully selected, as if their blood were nobler than everyone else's...
They supposedly only marry into 'suitable' families in each generation, making sure their sphere of influence can't be easily infiltrated."
He walked back to his desk, picked up a cup of cold tea, and took a sip.
"Unfortunately, no matter how noble their