in the distance, a child sings: one, two, joker’s coming for you —–
and there she stood, the creator of chaos, gotham’s “co - founder,” batman’s formidable foe. she was everything but also nothing; his beginning and his end. she was the one who haunted his dreams, whose image sat comfortably in his head and heart during every moment that pitiful organ beat. she was the one who created him just as much as he returned the pleasure; the bat - family was hers, too, in some sick and twisted way of a parental custody battle gone wrong. between her feet, a nameless victim, nobody too important but enough to garner the presence of his batmobile —— it was a pity, really, that the famous dark knight couldn’t be here for their death but the joker had to punish them, you see: they simply were not laughing enough and, when they refused to so much as chortle at her jokes, she sliced them.
three, four, she’s at your door —–
the struggle was apparent by the way some of the blood managed to splatter across her suit ( a new one, too! she would have to have it dry cleaned … perhaps, she should send their next of kin the bill? ) and she only sliced them deeper because of it with a few guts spilling out of them here and there, for decoration.
❛ what’s the hurry, bats? ❜
she ran the knife over her own mouth, the red paint now dry, mimicking the expression she had so carefully carved into the limp body before her. ❛ why not stop and smell the flowers? ❜ the ghost of batman chuckles. she presses the knife further into her own skin, the blood drips. ❛ c’mooooooooooooon, you can laugh ——– HA! or don’t you care for my acid wit? ❜
“ i think i have an idea of who could be, batman. ” the tone in his voice is one of disappointment — something not uncommon to hear from the commissioner. there are some that’d say he has the worst job in the entire city of gotham. and they’d be right. but he doesn’t bear that burden all by himself.
❛ i might have one too. i’ll keep you posted, jim. have your backup on the ready. this could be huge. ❜ unlike the commissioner, however, the dark knight prefers to keep the burden all to himself. he only tells jim to keep his men on the ready so he can feel a tiny bit better about the entire situation. but it’s not going to be easy. even when he knows he must confront it by themselves, keeping the GCPD on the ready might be to their advantage. as the batmobile zooms through the streets of the urban jungle, the batman prepares himself to face the clown queen of crime — hopefully for the last time. by the books. done his way. but if history tells him otherwise ——
he arrives at the scene, skidding to a stop on an angle. ejecting himself from the batmobile and suspending himself in the air, the batman spreads his glider and manages to land right in front of them. an intimidation tactic that he knows won’t work on someone like the joker. old habits, he supposes.
❛ i don’t understand why you’d murder someone who helped you find your way in at the front gate. but then again, i don’t understand why you’d murder at all. ❜ hand lurches forward to grab her jacket-covered arm, making sure her knife falls out of her covered hands. it is a role they both decide to take up —— an idea rather than the human just beneath. but the batman has found a proper balance, and the joker —— never has.
❛ what are you doing here, joker ? i know you’ve set something up. and i’m keen on taking you with me, and back to your cell in arkham afterward. let’s keep it short. ❜
