now we're in the ring

and we're coming for blood

[glcryngcre]

~ donna ~

DONNA SWEETT HAD A LOT OF SECRETS. a lot of demons buried in the past, skeletons in the closet, ones that she didn’t want to bring back, but.. she wasn’t an idiot. she knew it was a matter of time until either betty or her detective friends dug one of them up, thinking that it would be the end of her and so, she needed to prepare for that. couldn’t be an idiot for much longer, for sure. and there was this other girl - one she had met the other day, that had caught her attention and.. it felt like she could read through donna like a book. she didn’t like that, of course.

she read through people like a book, not the other way around. it scared her, that.. there was someone out there who could do that to her, who could read through her secrets and.. no. just no - she wasn’t letting that happen; not now, not in a million years and so, it wasn’t very hard to stride into the girl’s shop as if she owned the place, hands held tight behind her back.

“oh, i most certainly do.” she smiled at the other, moving in closer, keeping her expression calm.it’s okay. she can’t see through the mask - no one can.  “we met the other day. faith, is it?”

Faith grinned as she saw the other girl walk in. Perfection. She had forgotten how wonderful this feeling was. The very beginning of a hunt, watching her prospective Chosen stride down the path she had already paved for them. They each followed, intrigued by whatever aspect of the blonde they chose to hyper fixate on. For this one... She guessed it was mainly ego. A desire for those walls to come crumbling down, no matter what the other had told her.

That, or spite. Faith would take either one at this point.

“Mmhm. I’m so happy you remember me, Donna.” A small smile as Faith stepped out of her little makeshift aisle, wiping her hands on the bottom of her dress. And was that... flirting? Oh, she could definitely work with that.

Another step, two. Until they were so close, one of Faith’s hands reaching up to almost touch the other’s face. She curled in her palm at the last second, drawing her hand to her chest. “I’d want to think you’re only here to see me, but we know that’s not true. You seem... uneasy. A loss of control lately?”

[lovelys1x1]

  Bruce often found himself awake at night and so he thought why not going for a run? this was what always helped him to clear his mind and to get a few hours of sleep after he had come home then. Right now he was switching the song on his phone, so not paying the best of attention, but why should he right? it was in the middle of the night who else would be around now? but little did he know there actually was because he then bumped right into someone. “Oh shit sorry.” he said and looked at them. “You alright there?”

[glcryngcre]

Steph popped out of a bathroom window, dropping lightly to her feet on the pavement below. She hated changing out of her suit in public, but her roommate had gotten far too suspicious of her lately. Better to not risk it, even if it meant changing in some crappy diner. It was the worst part about vigilantism, she mused. Having to hide where you changed, walking out in the middle of the street at ungodly hours in the-

“Ow, crap.”

She ended up sprawled on the ground, grimacing as she landed on the bruise leftover from her Black Mask stakeout last week. Seriously, she knew she wasn’t that tall, but it didn’t give anyon blanket permission to just bowl her over like that. Yeah, she hadn’t been watching where she was going but still. People these days.

“Seriously? Watch where you’re fucking- Oh. Oh shit. Hi Bruce,” Steph sucked in a breath, eyes aimed at the ground. Why was she always meeting Bruce like this? “So, um, been here long?”

[glcryngcre]

Faith’s face was uncharacteristically hard as she stepped into the little flower shop, setting the potted plant on top of the front counter. Her hand immediately yanked away from the pot, out of biting range of the little monsters that resided within it. When she had agreed to let Pamela rent out part of her fields she hadn’t expected... this nightmare of a crossbreed. Faith’s withering Bliss flowers combined with whatever unholy subspecies of Venus flytrap the redhead propagated. 

“Your little demons are crossbreeding with mine,” She pushed the pot towards the other. “And I need you to come dig them up. They’re eating my strawberry patch.”

@gentlekvsses​ for pamela!

[glcryngcre]

‘Please follow the plan this time.’

Martín loved Zsasz. He did. Saw the man as an almost father figure. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t get exasperated with the other. One of his girls had lost her job and apartment to get him this information, and he wanted to use it to the best of his ability. This politician had to go if Zsasz wanted to keep both him and his girls out of jail. 

He let his head fall to the table, utterly exhausted. Nothing had been the same since he had met that... that imposter. Tensions higher,  Martín ready to snap at anything and anyone within five feet of him. It was a childish reaction, but what was he to do? Losing his father again to some pale version of himself wasn’t exactly how he wanted to spend his days.

@volatilejoy​ for zsasz!

[glcryngcre]

Working with flowers was mind-numbing. It was something she had always enjoyed, even under a hazy high where she couldn’t tell up from down. The earth grounded her, kept her sane. Problems with the Bliss formula? Work in the garden. Problems with her brothers? Work in the garden. It was the only thing that kept anxiety from crawling into her mind. Taking care of her fields in her conservatory and maintaining the shop at the front of the property were her only forms of therapy. So Faith diligently deadheaded her snapdragons, turned over leaves for any signs of rot, rotated her succulents to ensure they all received sunlight. It was her way of coping. 

A small grunt escaped her as she lifted a pallet of lavender plants onto a display table, quickly bending down to write the price on the side. The chime from the bell on top of the gate caught her attention, the blonde peaking her head out to see a customer looking at one of the displays. 

“Do you see one you like?” 

[glcryngcre]

~ kate ~

Kate still knew so little about Cherri.  She knew he’d been in the army - the dog tags gave that much away.  Hell, she didn’t even know if Cherri was his real name (who would name their kid Cherri?). She’d been tempted to look them up after they first met, and only stopped moments before hitting enter.

Because he was a friend, and Kate was desperate for one normal friendship.  And a normal friendship meant you didn’t go and do a background search on your friend and learn every public detail about their life.  You didn’t search up if Cherri was their real name or not, and you didn’t try to find why they weren’t in the army anymore.  It meant you met up with them, and you talked, and you let them tell you those things on their own.  It was weird.  One of the weirdest things Kate had done in a while.  Was it bad that normal was weird these days?

She shook her head, smiling a bit. “I appreciate it, but I’m good.  I’m a big girl, I can handle some dickwad that is trying to get under my skin.”

That tried to kill Steph.  That pushed every one of her buttons.  That was far too close to herself for her liking (minus the closet thing.  Once she was out of the army for it, there was no going back for her).

She leaned forward at Cherri’s words, formulating her thoughts.  Riddler was active, but he didn’t really target people like that.  And there had been no riddles lately (minus the LACMA that Steph took care of). So not him.  Joker was beginning to be more active, so it was possible it was him.  Harley - she wasn’t the kind to target someone and for it to not be noticed.  It sounded more like a Penguin thing, or a mob thing, but none of them had reared their heads.

“Did you get the guys’ name? What did he look like? Stab wounds? Gun shots?” Acid, but she wouldn’t scare him with that thought.

He’d never thought he could settle into such a comfortable friendship. There wasn’t much she had given up on her backstory, the only thing Cherri knew was that she- at one point- had been in some military branch. Army, if he had to guess. They had the same posture, the same sort of look everyone got after basic training. Yet, he supposed basic was different for those in this LA and didn’t involve being shipped to the front lines in your fourth week.

A friendship as light as this meant he didn’t press for information, on why she had that army look but never mentioned it. Nor did he mention how tired she looked some days, the hints of bruises peeking out from hemlines. So he definitely hadn’t perused hidden forums for illegal fight clubs, looking for someone of Kate’s description so he could talk her out of it. Nope. It didn’t happen.

Kate was an adult, she could handle herself. She could cope. Even if he didn’t trust her with her coping mechanisms.

“Only offering, Candy Kane. A good Molotov postcard never hurt anyone,” a shrug, a grin to show he was joking. Well, half-joking.

Ten years ago, that wouldn’t have been the case. Ten years ago, this pig would have already had his offices trashed, graffitied, and then finally set ablaze as Cherri recorded every instance for ‘posterity’.

Ten years ago, Cherri was a very different person.

That kind of thing wasn’t accepted here anyways.

He sucked in a breath, watching her become suddenly more interested. It was suspicious. Did he give up Roman? Cherri had no love for the man, despite the other’s insistence. Yet... No. he wasn’t that kind of person. Only if she pressed would he fully answer.

“Angry, entitled, screaming about a man named the Joker killing him. I don’t know any ‘Joker’, some new rockstar gone all polka dottie maybe?” A shrug. Would have been a name back home, who was he to question monikers. “That’s just it. Not a single wound on him. Covered in blood, said he couldn’t breathe but nothing. He was completely clear of injury.”

[glcryngcre]

This whole waiting thing was getting on his nerves. Seriously. How did Batsy do it? All that waiting in the dark, it was just agonizing. Joker had already pulled out all of the money in the vault, erected it into a pyramid just to stave off sheer boredom. And now he was sitting pretty on top, silent alarm tripped on his way in. 

How long did it take one Batman to get to a bank vault? It was a planned heist too! Not Joker’s, of course, no. He had simply liberated the plans from a member of the Polish mob, sent out a few anonymous invites to every other rogue he knew was in the city. B would find it. He’d get it. 

He had to. 

When the vault finally opened, Joker grinned on his face. He lifted up his arm, checking an imaginary watch. “Batsy! It’s rude of you to keep your date waiting. I clearly said quarter past a freckle, not half past a-” He paused, sliding down the pyramid. His face twisted into a grimace upon seeing that the intruder was indeed not his Batman. 

“-Ugh. You’re not him.”

for @volatilejoy, @diamondhvarts, @mx-mxrvxl, @simpleexistence​ !

[glcryngcre]

Joker lined up the sight of the gun he had liberated off of the back wall of Zsasz’s shop, barrel aimed directly at old Zsaszle’s shiny egg head. Bringing it back down to check the clip size. Couldn’t exactly going about shooting up his best supplier, now could he?

“Now, uh, back to what I was saying-“ A rather dramatic yank of the reload mechanism bisected his speech. “-I want all of it. All that you got up in this little place that’s mine. Cards, knives, whatever ya got.”

He set that one down on the counter, deeming it fit before pulling down a shotgun and testing its weight in his hands. An uncomfortable yank to his clothes had Joker glance down, catching sight of the blood that still stained his shirt. Right.

“And whatever’s Harley’s. She won’t... be needing it right now.”

@volatilejoy​​ for zsasz!

[glcryngcre]

Getting into the house was easy. Sally could do that no problem. A bobby pin and she was good. Now getting out- especially since she had lost her key to both the house and the gate- that was the difficult part. One hand braced on a pike, the other on one of the iron bars to guide her way down. That was easy. One. Two. Three- 

Not easy, not easy! Sally let out a small noise as she ended up sprawled on the pavement, eyes blinking into the bright sun. That could have gone so much better. A shadow crossed her path, the girl unable to see the person’s face. Just a silhouette. 

“Please say you saw none of that.”

[glcryngcre]

~ carol ~

yes, carol danvers had never been a very social person.. especially when she had been in the military, because.. people didn’t get her. people wanted to take her own, people wanted to make sure she knew she was less than them just because she was a woman, but.. she knew now that it had never been like that. she could keep up her own weight when it came to them and.. it was exactly because of that that she had made a few friends in here.. less, but.. good.

that was all that mattered to her right now. “oh, look who it is. come to get your ass beaten again, mr. cherri?” she grinned, from ear to ear, as she took a step closer to him. “are you sure that’s a good idea? i don’t want to get you all bruised up again, like last time. people might say i attacked you or something.” carol chuckled a little bit, eyes widening at his words.

“ramones vinyl? you know, if you don’t give it to me, i can just break in and take it, you know?”

It had been hard to find friends. Ones that didn’t question his name, the dog tags that were just slightly off. Ones he could trust not to run headfirst into issues they couldn’t solve. These were the safe kind, even if Finn was neither safe nor good for Cherri’s mental health. There always had to be one.

Carol was stubborn and ran into danger, yes. But she could handle most things. “You like to forget that last match was close. Beat your ass, just a little bit,” His mouth quirked up into a smile, taking a few, careful steps to the side. Attacking first basically made it easier for her to win. “It might add character. Who knows, maybe people will think I belong to a fight club.”

There. Cherri kicked out the back of her knee, pulling the other into a loose headlock he knew she could get out of. Her fault for being distracted. “But then I won’t tell you about any others I get. We have a shipment of some vintage ones coming in, you might miss something good.”

[glcryngcre]

~ eddie ~

Ed faltered for a moment, just staring at the fact that Joker had walked out in nothing but a towel.  Sure they’d - had their fun.  But he’d never really been so thoroughly faced with his nudity.  It’d always been quick romps after successful missions, or when they were both stressed out of their minds by their plots going horribly wrong.

‘You’re pathetic.’ Says the one who strangled the girl he’d been stalking for how long? ‘You act like you weren’t involved in that.’ You act like you didn’t fall for a doppelganger.  Did I not warn you it was suspicious?

Ed’s eyes darted away from the glass of water on the table in front of him.  He didn’t need to be having this argument now.  He was on a mission.  A mission that did not require Joker being naked save a towel, but Ed could work with this.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t entertaining you,” he snapped. “I was trying to get myself into a higher standing.  And trying to figure out how to snap you back into yourself.”

He stood, starting halfway towards the kitchen.  He knew Joker was likely going for a gun.  Ed would be going for a weapon if roles were reversed.  

“You missed part of the answer,” Ed said. “You and your lock are both broken, but I can fix you both.”

It was a sure way to not get shot.  He pulled the deck of ‘cards’ out from his pocket and walked into the kitchen.  He waggled them a little in the air.

“You don’t know how much of a pain it was to get these.  I think Zsasz was hoping you’d just randomly walk in one day.  He has no plan. And he charged me double what they’re worth,” he said.

He shuffled through them - carefully.  He knew what they were, what they could do.

“It’s a shame.  Zsasz is good with making people forget, but he’s no good at getting people to remember. It’s all about triggers.  Words, items, colors.”

And there was the attention whore bit that had been floating through his memories. It was all “I need to be better this” and “you’re not fun enough that”. And honestly. Eddie could be entertaining. Loosen up a few screws, adjust the hat band so it wasn’t pressing up against his brain too tightly. It was a real issue, made otherwise decent people into fucking lunatics.

J should know, he’d spent enough time being slotted into the lunatic category.

He’d settle for the barest amount of unease he could cause in the other. Wasn’t much he could like this.

“Don’t need your help, Eddie. Criminal underworld will wait for me to come back,” a pause, another grin. “This obsession you have. Really, someone would think you’re a little in love.”

It wasn’t true. J knew it, the other guy knew it, Eddie most likely knew it. J wasn’t who Eddie truly wanted. One of their own, he remembered. Someone with a sense to stay out of this. Still, it never hurt to push as many buttons as he could and see which ones detonated. He’d always been a sucker for a good lights show.

A roll of his eyes, hand motioning in a “go on” gesture. Broken. Wow. How original. Let Eddie speak, let him think he’s so clever and then put a bullet in his brain. He’d clean up the body later, once he figured out the solution to the Harley issue.

The Lucy issue he wouldn’t touch for a while.

The shine from the cards caught his attention, hand out and waiting for Eddie to place them in his upturned palm.

“Give it.” It was just at the edge of his mind, a parasite eating holes into the gray matter. He needed it like he needed air.

[glcryngcre]

~ roman ~

ROMAN SIONIS, depending on someone? the whole concept of that was a whole, fucking, cosmic joke and.. he didn’t want to admit that it was true. all his life, he had depended on someone. first his father, but.. once he had kicked him to the curb, the only one that roman knew he could count on had always been zsasz. but now.. that he was gone, that roman was alone, fresh out of the dead.. what could roman even do? what could he even do, when.. he could still feel joker’s knife slicing his throat open, while he could still feel himself.. running out of breath?running out of breath and dying, over and over again and.. he didn’t know if he’d forget it.

how did one forget their second death? the first one hadn’t hurt so much, apparently, not according to what roman remembered, but.. this one? it had been painful. fighting to breath.

trying to breath, trying to keep his eyes open and then.. nothing. the dark. why was he even here, anyways? why had he been brought back.. why was he still breathing? he didn’t know. “you’ve been where i am?” he scoffed. “doubtful - no one’s been where i am - no one can know what i’ve been through, because i’m roman fucking sionis and.. this not fair. at all.”

was the best time to throw a tantrum? was it the best time to throw the rock he had been holding at the other, hoping it would hit him and he would just fucking shut up? probably not, but.. roman did it anyway and.. still managed to miss. well, fuck that.

“no one is coming after you. the maniac who did this to me.. he only kills for very specific reasons. i pushed his buttons, so.. he did this to me.” in a way, he didn’t regret it, because.. he had placed an upcoming time bomb in the middle of joker and quinn and.. it was only a matter of time now. he could go home and.. know he had started the beginning of the end for the clowns.

so.. why did he move towards the other, past the door? why? perhaps, because.. the idea of being alone was fucking terrible and fucking scary right now and.. he didn’t want it to happen.

bad company was better than no company, wasn’t it?

Cherri couldn’t even begin to describe the desire he had to pistol-whip this man.

It was a strange sort of anger. He’d never truly had his help refused so rudely before. Even shiny ‘Joys knew that if they wanted to survive their wasteland of a home, they needed Cherri’s deliveries. They may not have liked him, but they needed him. A similar situation to this one. Except the man seemed to be adamant that he was just fine, despite the obvious delirium and even more obvious blood that covered him.

He ran a hand over his face. Maybe helping him just wasn’t worth it. He’d make a call and let the pigs pick the other up, be done with him forever. Yet he couldn’t live with that on his conscious. He had to at least check the man over and make sure he wouldn’t bleed out in the station. 

“I’ve been shot at and run over more times than I can count. And then finally killed and ended up here so I think I can understand what’s happening. Even if you can’t accept that.”

Cherri simply watched the rock sail through the air, indifferent to the harmful intent behind it. The man’s throw was sloppy and rocks were practically dead weight. It sailed past his shoulder, his anger growing with the more the man spoke. This man- Roman- didn’t deserve his help. He was an angry child, thrown into reality for the first time. 

Both BLi and the other ‘Joys would have eaten the other alive. Both sides would have even enjoyed it. 

He was about to say ‘fuck it’, to kick the other out when Roman had finally made his decision. Cherri closed the door behind him, desperately trying not to hit the other upside the head. “Shower’s in the back, extra clothes underneath the sink. Don’t... Don’t break my equipment. Please.”

Without so much as looking at the other, Cherri walked back into the studio portion of the station, quickly flipping on the mute button before letting out a muffled, strangled sound. This was going to be a long night. 

[glcryngcre]

~ cordelia ~

cordelia took in violet’s words. constance? she wasn’t sure if she knew that name. it was a familiar one. “ i don’t think i do…why do you ask? “ placing her elbows on the table. “ is that person trying to harm you? or someone else? “ wondering why the young girl thought she would find it strange to hear the other’s name. she would keep all of her students safe. and everyone in this world if it came to that extent.

Violet was surprised by the line of questioning. Is that person trying to harm you? Constance harmed a lot of people. Her own son and daughter... Violet too, she guessed. Always had a bad feeling about those “goodwill” cupcakes the bitch brought over. Yet the professor seemed like one of the good ones, immediately jumping to this conclusion and attempting to help a student, even if they didn’t take her class.

“Not anymore it’s- it was three years ago it’s not really important but-” Violet sucked in a breath. Great, now she was going to look like the resident crazy girl. “- You look like someone she used to have around. A lot. A crackpot medium or something.”

[glcryngcre]

~ deputy ~

– & Somehow she’d found a piece of her wanting to listen to Faith, wanting to believe in the possibility that this was a good thing. That having the siren of Hope County alive and here in front of her, would end well. Despite history telling her otherwise. Maybe she simply wanted to believe that for once in her life, the chaos wouldn’t reign supreme. That this seemingly peaceful life she’d carved out could remain that way despite Faith Seed being reintroduced to her life; one could hope.

There’s nothing that really stands out as out of place, Irene’s accutely aware of that as gaze moves around the shop from her seat; noting anything worth while of remembering in case this goes tits up. Then the blonde is back and her angelic voice is once again bringing Irene back to reality, although it’s not to be awoken with bliss still clouding her vision. “I — are you admittingthat you tried to start Bliss production here already?” Probably not something anyone NORMAL would admit to a police officer, but she knew the Seeds were nothing close to normal standards. It is however a weight lifted off of her shoulders, that the plants won’t take, that it isn’t possible for the time being. “How long — How long have you been here?” Really what she’s asking is how long has Faith been living in LA, without Dep being able to tell.

Sowing seeds of doubt into others was always Faith’s first step. She was a gardener, after all. Why not nurture and water those little seeds into beautiful blooming plants, whispers of doubts like vines wrapping around their thoughts. Little things, always had to start small. Is this the life I truly want? Is this my path? Can’t I have more of life? No, no, and yes. Those that left her brothers broken in more ways than one flocked to her. Some, like her darling Sara, came to her willingly upon taking the Project into their lives. Faith made them better, took away their pain and misery to where they were put back together. Not fully whole, no one but God could work miracles like that. But happy.

Now if only the Deputy could understand that, things would run so much smoother.

“They’re only flowers, Deputy. Bliss is harmless in small clumps, it’s only in extensive fields and distilled are their properties... enhanced. Like poppies. And those are allowed to grow wild here,” Her head rested on her fist, head cocked. It may have been too much, but Faith would much rather save an unnecessary raid on her nursery than hide the truth from Irene. She would discover it eventually and it looked better for Faith’s character to tell her outright.

A pause in the conversation to thank the shopkeeper for setting down their order, before turning to the avenging angel of Hope County once again. “Two months. I have a very lovely plant conservatory outside the city limits. The invitation is open to you. Only you.”

Always you.

Faith wanted the other so badly it ached, yet that was a problem for later. Now... well. Now it was time to surpass her brothers’ places in Irene’s mind.

“I’m not naive. Young but not naive. Why did you really follow me here? I know it wasn’t just for tea, Irene.”

[glcryngcre]

~ adrian ~

a little girl clearly wouldn’t mess with his plan for the future - at all, no… adrian had far too much to lose and far too much to gain, if everything went according to plan and.. he needed her lands. needed them, to continue his work, to build a new optics lab.. where he could work on the suits in peace, without being found out or being.. watched. god, he hated being watched. he watched other people and not the other way around and no matter how much he adored cecilia, he had learned his lesson with her once. he could not let her snoop around his work, without being sure that he could completely trust her again, which.. he didn’t know if he could. that final night.. he had believed her. had been so happy, to see her again.. look where that had gotten him.

a slit throat, bleeding out on his favorite rug.. where was the fun in that? there was no fun. on planning and manipulating the hell out of an innocent little girl, into signing off her lands to him? now, that was.. some good plan, that he would be sure to follow. “brothers, uh? i had one. terrible one, at that, but.. he’s dead now. won’t be terrible anymore.” he smiled - tom was dead because adrian knew cecilia like he knew the palm of his own hand, both the normal and the one who was shaking like crazy lately and.. he knew she’d go for the killing shot. after being pushed over the edge… she’d break. perhaps that was why he loved her so much, because.. deep down, they were alike. “anyways, yes, i’m certain it will. please, come along. i don’t have much time, i’m supposed to meet my fiancee for lunch - she doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

at the other’s words, he only smiled. “farmland, yes, but.. for now. once my men destroy the fields and start building something new, something bright there.. you’ll see just the potential it had.” as they arrived at his office, adrian sat down, gesturing for her to do the same. “you see, miss seed… i’m a visionary. and your fields.. they have just exactly what i need for my project. they’re bright, they’re large and.. i’m prepared to pay very generously for them. very much so.”

She hoped this wouldn’t take very long.

She needed to check on her greenhouse conditions, haggle with vendors, deadhead the few crossbreeds behind her little home, and of course, prepare for the Deputy. The woman would be around, Faith just knew it. Even if the woman hadn’t taken to the open invitation very well, Faith had a feeling she’d stop by Seed Conservatory. There was a curiosity about the other that the blonde would love to nurture. And this meeting was only wasting her time.

A starry-eyed nod, Faith clasping her hands together in front of her. “Mhm. Three of them. They all- oh. I’m so sorry about his passing. Even if he wasn’t the best sibling you could have had.” And there’s the sociopathy she was looking for. Even if Joseph was slaughtered in front of her, Faith would never dare speak badly about him. She was certain that even in death, he would have powers that rivaled the archangels. And who was Faith to let such blasphemies leave her lips? “A fiancée? She must be very happy, to have someone with as much power as you.”

Or very unhappy. She made a mental note to research that later.

She ungracefully sat in her chair, skirt flying out with the motion. “Destroy? I don’t think I get what you-“ Her face fell into one of horror, no falsifying needed. She was prepared to rent out one of her three acres to him. But all of it for what? For that precious space to be bulldozed and slathered in awful concrete? She’d rather die than give up her fields. “Do you not understand how precious those fields are?! They’re one of the few places in this whole county untouched by pollution and you would... you would raze them to nothing like the Tower of Babel? I can’t let you do that, Mr. Griffin. What other purposes could they possibly serve than to be a place of growth?”

[glcryngcre]

Hickory dickory dock

The mouse ran up the clock

The mouse was a stupid mouse and didn’t realize it wasn’t as sneaky as it thought.

The mouse never got to run down.

Mr. Nygma was neither stealthy nor subtle. His eyes, the way Jonathan’s cases always involved him. It was annoying. The man just wanted to do his job. Well, possibly with a few other side perks but no one was keeping track of that. No one except for Mr. Nygma.

The other really should have expected it when Jonathan cornered him in the file room, locking the door and keeping his body in between Nygma and the only other means of escape. He didn’t want to, but the other had just... He had pushed a little too far.

“Tell me what you want. You can’t hide in the dark anymore.” Had he noticed the way Jonathan was always there for the interrogations? How a few words from their resident profiler and their suspects confessed to everything? No, he didn’t think Mr. Nygma was smart enough for that.

@volatilejoy​ for ed!

[glcryngcre]

~ harley ~

    SHE KNEW HIM.  better than anyone did, better than anyone ever had, even if it had all been a twist and turn, even if it had all been a puzzle that she had yet to complete ever since her arkham days.. she knew him. better than anyone and.. that was why, as soon as she laid eyes on him, she knew there was something wrong. she knew he was a ticking bomb, waiting to explode and the question was.. would she be caught up on it? before, harley liked to think she would. you jump, i jump came to mind - she had taken the fall for him, plenty of times and she would do it all again, because.. life without him was just boring. he defined her - he always had, he had given her life a meaning, a purpose.. and who would she be without him?

probably still little, boring, harleen quinzel.. waiting for something, anything, that would turn her life from pathetic, boring.. to something worth living, something worth fighting for.

did that mean she wasn’t afraid of him? she liked to think she wasn’t - living with the joker meant he could either throw a grenade in her direction or offer her a diamond necklace from one of the recent heists when she least expected it, but.. now, there was something. a glint in his eye, one that harley knew far too well.. one that told her everything she needed to know.

he was after something. answers, maybe and.. she knew very well that when the answer he found wasn’t one he enjoyed.. things would get dark. very dark. “still, yah didn’t it. didn’t think you would.” her eyes moved from him, to the basket, to everything around them.. uneasy, ready to run, if that was the case.. but what could she do, when it came to him? she couldn’t hurt him. hope to beat him in a fight was hopeless, considering he had taught her all she knew.

so, what? just die? like dear, ol’ roman?

“you know who i am, though, don’t yah? your harley. all this time, it’s been so boring, without yah.. this town isn’t the same.” her words were traded very, very carefully.. she knew what he wanted. to hear and.. when. at least, she liked tp think she did. “come on, puddin’, yah didn’t seriously believe anythin’ dear, ol’ romey had to say, right? he was a liar and.. he hated us both. figured we wouldn’t be getting anywhere with him, after all the havoc we caused in his lil’ life over the years. whatever he said, he .. lied.” no, he was.. lying. he had to be.

and yet, the crowbar scared her, so much she stumbled back, almost fallin’ down on her ass right there and.. she shouldn’t have, because… the next words should have sent her running. lucy.

he knew. how?

“puddin’, you.. how?” how was roman fucking sionis still ruining her life from the grave?

Had to give credit where credit was due, Harley knew exactly who she was dealing with. Even if the fear was a bit... misplaced. He hadn’t done anything yet to deserve that level of shaking! Only settle in for the show. Yet the gesture was appreciated. Noted, remembered for future reference. He sincerely doubted it would help stay her fate but one could dream.

It was funny. The way she kept talking as if that could help her fix her choices. All hers that led up to this point. The lies, her flee from Gotham, the glaring absence. A canary crying out her song, all too aware of the cat lying in wait.

Strangely quiet, as he let his words sink in. Let her figure it out for herself. The exact moment she realized. Now that’s what he called a Kodak moment! It was just another piece sliding in, the final few clicking into place for him. He’d made peace with his fate. Three left until completion. The final countdown! Bring on the streamers and party poppers.

“My Harley? If you are my Harley, let’s play a game. It’ll be easy.” Voice incredulous, humoring her. He stepped closer, closer. Until they were mere inches apart, the crowbar was placed under her chin.

“We’ll start... Easy for you. You’re smart, you’ll play along. Is my favorite color purple?”

THREE.

A pause, slight pressure on the crowbar to lift her chin. He needed to see her eyes if she lied. To see his grin reflected, to know that this, this is what she feared.

“Next one. Speak up, I want to hear your answer. Didn’t I- not your Red, nor pathetic Jack- take you from your confines of Harleen? Didn’t I set you free?”

TWO.

The crowbar clattered to the floor, one hand reaching up to grasp onto Harley’s throat. His thumb reached across to trace along her jawline, callouses snagging against smooth skin.

“Last one. You know how I feel about liars, Harls. Can’t stand them, they make everything so drawn out with their bargaining,” A dramatized sigh. “You know what’s going to happen. So I’m going to ask you... What made you think you could get away with it?”

ONE.

He turned her head, exposing her neck to him. She was color and madness combined, swirled into one patchwork pattern of a person. All that power and insanity in the palm of the Joker’s hand. Just as heady as the first time she trusted him like this, a blind leap into the unknown.

“Don’t be S H Y, Harls. Isn’t this what you wanted? Didn’t you want me back?”