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Pen waits for somebody to come find her. She knows abstractly that this can go on for years, but she's still alarmed, when it turns out it's going to take more than a week.
At least there is Cindy, even though he isn't her real daddy. Cindy is fun and makes tasty food and brings her presents to keep occupied with and doesn't mind that she draws on the walls and likes it when she sings and takes her to the place with room to fly most days, and lets her paint him pretty. Pen makes elaborate K'nex structures, becomes quite adept at piloting her helicopter (it has room to fly even inside the apartment), and improves at drawing. She learns the lyrics to a lot of Queen songs. She does not go in the dangerous room or out the dangerous door; she's safe but Mommy isn't here to safe Cindy too and Pen can't do it because she's not a mint. She can do other things, though. She can play and read and eat waffles and paint Cindy.
She paints him most of the time, now, and she sings while she does it.
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campanas
Batman does look at him - looks at both of them, for a few silent seconds.
Then he turns and disappears out the broken window.
Then he turns and disappears out the broken window.
campanas
Pen does her best to fix the smear she made while startled. "What do for window?"
manofmyword
"Pick up all that broken glass, for a start," he says. "You can help if you want. Then I guess I'll go find something to cover it with."
campanas
Pen finishes painting him, then hops off his lap and starts picking up glass.
manofmyword
Cindy helps. They get it all cleaned up - he drags a vacuum out of the back of a closet to make sure - and then he goes out.
campanas
Pen walks out through the broken window, wings folded discreetly behind her, to see if she can watch him go from the roof.
manofmyword
Off he trots, carrying the bag they collected the glass in and the bag out of the vacuum with all the extra little bits in it. He climbs down the tree and crosses the park and turns down the street out of sight.
(Batman is going to do one of two things now that they're apart. But the Joker expects that if he didn't try to grab Pen right out of his lap, he's not going to try it now. Why would the Joker be an inhibiting presence? It's not as if he was holding her hostage, a fact which even Batman clearly noticed, or that conversation would have gone... differently.)
(Batman is going to do one of two things now that they're apart. But the Joker expects that if he didn't try to grab Pen right out of his lap, he's not going to try it now. Why would the Joker be an inhibiting presence? It's not as if he was holding her hostage, a fact which even Batman clearly noticed, or that conversation would have gone... differently.)
His guess was correct.
A nearly silent flutter, a nearly invisible shadow, and the Bat is on him, knocking the bags - potential weapons - out of his hands, grabbing the back of his jacket to hurl him into a wall.
manofmyword
That's the stuff.
"Just like old times," he sighs. "Me, I'm getting soft in my old age, but yoouuu—" the sudden shift in emphasis caused not by whim this time but by Batman punching him in the back of the head "—you're the same old Bat."
Both hands braced on the brick wall that is now marked with a smear of face paint, he turns around slowly. There he is, in all his glory. Gotham's dark knight. Oh, he never thought he'd see the day. Not after Dent - not after Dawes - not after four years without a whisper of his best enemy.
"Just like old times," he sighs. "Me, I'm getting soft in my old age, but yoouuu—" the sudden shift in emphasis caused not by whim this time but by Batman punching him in the back of the head "—you're the same old Bat."
Both hands braced on the brick wall that is now marked with a smear of face paint, he turns around slowly. There he is, in all his glory. Gotham's dark knight. Oh, he never thought he'd see the day. Not after Dent - not after Dawes - not after four years without a whisper of his best enemy.
"I'm not here to reminisce," he says in his best gravel-chewing terror-of-the-night voice. Odd how it all comes back. Like it was yesterday.
"I want to know what game you're playing."
"I want to know what game you're playing."
manofmyword
He lets out a wheezing giggle.
"Are you really that incapabllle of believing that something - just - doesn't - concern you?" He could stand on his own now, but he leans back against the wall instead, smoothing his gloved hands over his pockets but deliberately not tucking them in because he wouldn't want to give the wrong impression. "And I thought I had it bad," he continues, with a sympathetic shake of his head.
"Are you really that incapabllle of believing that something - just - doesn't - concern you?" He could stand on his own now, but he leans back against the wall instead, smoothing his gloved hands over his pockets but deliberately not tucking them in because he wouldn't want to give the wrong impression. "And I thought I had it bad," he continues, with a sympathetic shake of his head.
He growls, but doesn't bother making a physical threat. It's all too obvious in hindsight that the Joker doesn't find violence a significant motivator.
(In fact, he - no. Some things are just too disturbing to contemplate.)
"I want. To know. What. You're. Doing," he enunciates.
(In fact, he - no. Some things are just too disturbing to contemplate.)
"I want. To know. What. You're. Doing," he enunciates.
manofmyword
"Mm, well," he says. "I assume you know that after your little - sleight of hand - with Dent, Gotham's crime took a turn for the distinctly disorganized. Or you would've come back sooner." He cocks his head inquisitively. "Ah-huh?"
Grudgingly, he nods.
manofmyword
"Well, I don't know about you, but I have been keeping tabs on that scene." He quirks a smile. "In between... en-ter-tainments. And you know, it was quiet enough for long enough that I almost thought it was just..." he shrugs, "over for good. But of course good and Gotham have never been the best of friends."
"Get to the point, Joker."
He almost makes a move, almost grabs the Joker again to shake it out of him, but then checks himself. Barely a twitch, all in all.
manofmyword
"Not the same bat after all," he murmurs, and grins.
"So. There've been a couple squeaks and grumbles over the years, but never anything - serioussss. Until a few months ago. Then I start hearing there's somebody new in town. The new blood isn't even based in Gotham. Whoever this is, they're big." He opens his hands sharply, bouncing them outward, to demonstrate the bigness. "And noooobody's talkinnng, which let me tell you, is nnot usually the case when I start asking questions."
He smiles crookedly.
"But then, you'd know, wouldn't ya?"
"So. There've been a couple squeaks and grumbles over the years, but never anything - serioussss. Until a few months ago. Then I start hearing there's somebody new in town. The new blood isn't even based in Gotham. Whoever this is, they're big." He opens his hands sharply, bouncing them outward, to demonstrate the bigness. "And noooobody's talkinnng, which let me tell you, is nnot usually the case when I start asking questions."
He smiles crookedly.
"But then, you'd know, wouldn't ya?"
Know what? That the Joker is more intimidating than he is? He's not likely to forget it.
(What it's like when you're used to frightening answers out of people and then it doesn't work anymore? That too. He's getting a fresh reminder now, in fact.)
He doesn't repeat his demands for information, just waits. Still and silent. Watching. Some people would be terrified, but Batman is not sure the Joker even feels fear. It would be far too human of him.
(What it's like when you're used to frightening answers out of people and then it doesn't work anymore? That too. He's getting a fresh reminder now, in fact.)
He doesn't repeat his demands for information, just waits. Still and silent. Watching. Some people would be terrified, but Batman is not sure the Joker even feels fear. It would be far too human of him.