A Jokers Riddle

Chapter 3

Pain. 

Man, this was getting fun. Just a wall of pain all around him like a cage that he'd never been able to find a key to. It was a natural occurrence of course, yet it still managed to be rather annoying. Red hood shifts, the sides of his helmet pressing against his bruised cheek before he opens his eyes and finds himself surprised. He lets his hand grip sheets and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Last thing he remembered he was in the middle of the street. Yet now he had a roof over his head and a soft sweet smell to fill his nose.

He feels the soft sheet against his arm and he realizes his suit was still on, yet it was ripped away sporadically. The smell comes closer as if it could walk. Then he realized. It could. A blurry face, his eyes seeming to focus in and out, sits in front of him and a finger strokes along his mask. "Riddle me this, Red Hood. Why is a wounded superhero like yourself outside of a dark alley?"

"AH! LADY!" he exclaims and lets his hand fall to where his gun would be but it wasn't there. "No! I was just kidnapped!" he tries to push himself up to fight but eventually just plops back down in utter and total pain that he'd forgotten about in the spur of the moment. "Ow..."

"I stripped you of weapons so you wouldn't roll over on your side and shoot up my apartment," the girl answers as she runs her skin finger through her straight brown mane of thick hair. She seemed utterly innocent. With soft hazel eyes, a heart-shaped face, and dainty features. "I'm trying to fix your wounds, Red Hood."

"How do you know who I am? And why are you cleaning my wounds?" he accuses and his eyes narrow as he studies her unusually soft features. "How did you find me? Who do you work for? Did Batman send you?" he demands and holds up a hand. "And for your information, I was doing just fine! I don't need any help whatsoever."

"I don't think that's the truth," she answers as her fingers run along one particularly nasty gash on his chest and she simply gives a little smirk at his flinch. "Batman didn't send me. I was on my way home and heard you groaning. I thought I'd help you if that's not such a sin to you," she answers as she sets aside the medical equipment.

"And I know you're red hood because you have a name tag in your jacket pocket that says 'Hello. I'm Red Hood. Don't talk to me."

He stares at her and groans before flopping back. So he guessed no one knew him. Only Batman and his famed boy wonder. "For your information, it is a sin, I work alone. Did you take a peak of who I am? I bet you did! I will simply have to use my powers to erase your mind if you did," Jason shoots, holding out an excusing finger as if he were about to zap her with his spoken powers..

"I haven't peaked under your mask, idiot," she answers as she tosses an abnormally heavy thing on his chest and he sputters, sitting up with a growl. "Well. You asked for it," she turns her shoulder towards him and she takes hasty steps towards the bed he lay on. It smelt of her. Like something sweet. Something soft. Yet she scowled and it distorted her sweet features into something slightly frightening. "You're already impossible," she takes a seat and begins to unwrap the bandages.

"Forgive me for being cautious," he grumbles and pushes the heavy bag off. "If you are so kind then why are you being so snippy?"

"I suppose you bring out the worst in me," she says with a small laugh before she reaches across his chest, unzipping the bag. "Can I possibly... have you take off your shirt? Is this thing.. a shirt?" She says and pokes a finger along the suit she found fascinating. The fancied red hat symbol and the smooth leather armor mixed with the same material used to create Batman's.

"Oh you're just looking for an excuse- Ow!" she hits him in the chest with a pillow.

"Whoops."

"It's.... armor," he says, recovering for a second and looking around to see his plain beige jacket hanging on the corner, yeah.. fine... let me," he begins messing with it, pulling off the armor and then the plain shirt with a hard wince. "Ow...." he murmurs and drops it beside him. "Do you do this for every unlucky guy who is, unfortunately, bleeding on the side of the street?"