“Johnny,” I whined, pulling on his sleeve, earning a smirk out of him. “Why must we walk everywhere?” I pouted up at him, earning a few strange glances from the few passer-by-ers on the streets of Gotham so late at night. It was warm, not too humid, and held a beautiful full moon. There was a light wind that would occasionally blow my hair into my face; I was in serious need of a ponytail holder.
“Well,” he sighed, adjusting the shoulder strap of my enormous bag. “I thought that it wouldn’t be so bad since I was carrying your stuff down the crowded sidewalk of the busy city.” He smiled down at me over the brim of his glasses. I huffed and rolled my eyes, standing up straight smirking to myself.
“I guess I can deal with that as compromise.” I chuckled. “So where exactly are we going, my dear doctor? Home was the other way.” I pointed back toward the warehouse district.
“I told you, I have business to attend to.” He nodded to a shop on the corner of the opposite street. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed this earlier, but there wasn’t a soul on this block; like we were in the Restricted Section.
“Well, who’s in there?” I squinted at the huge sign on the top. It had been pretty messed up due to weather and multiple vandals; they always amaze me by getting their work on tall structures.
“If you follow me you’ll find out for yourself.” He chuckled, stepping into the deserted street.
I grinned and ran to the door of the shop, not really thinking it through as I banged loudly on the door. Stepping back I stood there with a huge grin on my face, waiting for the shabby wooden door to open. I could hear someone move inside, knocking down a multitude of objects. Through all the crashing and falling, I could make out someone cursing at the time and how it never moves until he needs to be doing something. I looked back at John to see him frowning at whoever was inside, displeased with having to wait so long.
“What do you wa- Oh hello Scarecrow.” Jervis Tech was looking up at the tall figure behind me. He was sporting a typical green top hat and a colorful, dingy suit. Jonathan placed his hands on my shoulders, moving Jervis’ gaze to my own. “Majesty!” He exclaimed, embracing me tightly. “Where ever have you been? You never showed for tea time!”
“Sorry Jervis,” I smiled up at the delusional man. “I’ve been… busy.”
“No matter! Inside now, inside. The tea will be getting cool and cool tea is not tasty tea.” The short man dragged the two of us in after him, slamming the door and locking it quickly. I looked up at Johnny worriedly, but he just reassured me with a smile that we were going to be fine.
“So Jervis, what is it you wanted to talk to me about.” Jonathan asked calmly, making his way toward a wooden chair.
The room here hadn’t changed too much. There was still an enormous wooden table in the center, surrounded by mismatching wooden chairs. The walls were covered in peeling paint that used to be a sky blue color, darkened from the lack of cleanliness in the building. There was a back doorway, leading to a room full of clothing, which had a painting of the Cheshire cat smiling down on everyone above the frame. Along the left was there were multiple wooden shelves that held an assortment of stuffed animals resembling all of the characters in Lewis Carol’s beloved story. Jervis stood by these little figures, trying to pick them up from the ground and place them.
“Can’t two friends simply catch up my dear Jonathan?” He smiled nervously over his shoulder, immediately going back to arranging the dolls. I still stood by the door, unsure of how things would play out and wanting to keep my escape close.
“Not with you Jervis.” Jonathan chuckled. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“I had wanted to know where Majesty disappeared too.” The hatter shrugged, looking over my way. “But since you’ve brought her with you the conversation is void. I would, however, like to inquire as to why you’re smiling.” I stood there for a few seconds, not registering he was talking to me.
“Me? Oh, well,” I sighed, trying to think. “I don’t quite know.” I grinned wider. “I’ve decided to smile more often; life’s short and unpredictable.” The words flew out of my mouth before I could really think of them. He nodded, pleased with my answer and the placement of his dolls.
“I do believe it’s time for tea then.” He clapped his hands together, scurrying toward the back doorway.
“What happened to make you realize life was short?” Johnny raised an eyebrow at my still smiling figure. I frowned slightly, thinking of the blurry fight.
“Ra’s did.” I mumbled to the ground. “I was dying Jonathan, my body couldn’t process the toxin anymore and I was dying.” I whispered, looking back up to see him frowning.
“You must know… I didn’t… didn’t mean for that to happen.” He had to clear his throat a few times, never moving from his spot across the room.
“I know Johnny, you just needed to sedate me at the party so I could be kidnapped.” I, for whatever reason, continued smiling. He rolled his eyes and sighed, giving me a look of amusement.
“When you put it like that I sound downright terrible.” He smirked over at me.
“It’s not like you pushed me into the Lazarus Pit,” I pointed out, oblivious to the look of horror on his face. “That was downright terrible.” Finally, John stood up and walked over and knelt down, grabbing my shoulders.
“Katrina,” He stared into my eyes, sending chills down my spine. “Who pushed you into the Lazarus Pit?”
“Ra’s.” I answered easily. His grip tightened and his eyes started to search for something on my face. “Johnny? You’re kinda hurting me now.” I whispered, his grip loosening the slightest.
“You died.” He muttered to himself.
“No,” I shook my head. “We were fighting and I was alive when I fell in.” John just stared at me in awe, things were working in his head; I could see it in his eyes.
“Crane! What are you doing?” Jervis shrieked, causing me to jump in John’s grasp. “What will Dorothy think?”
“Um Jervis, Dorothy and I aren’t… It didn’t work out.” Jonathan said stonily. Jervis was already pouring the tea and didn’t really respond.
“What about you Majesty?” The hatter raised an accusing eyebrow at me. “Are you still in company of your prince?”
“No.” I answered shortly, glaring at the wall for a moment, the lights flickering as my anger flared. I blinked a couple times and the lights returned to their steady yellow glow. “I am no longer in company of my prince.” I sighed.
“Well, we’re just a lonely bunch.” Jervis chuckled heartily to himself. He finally put the teapot down and proceeded to hand out steaming cups of tea. Jonathan took his gratefully and sipped, smiling at whatever brew we were having. I took the liberty of walking over to the table to accept my teacup; fearing that Jervis would spill it.
“So! Now that we’re all caught up and have our tea, what more shall we discuss?” I smiled at the two rouges across from me.
“Well, Easter’s in a couple days, so Calendar Man will be doing something interesting.” Jonathan rambled.
“But, it was Mardi Gras not too long ago.” I mumbled to myself. I know I’d been in the sewer for a while, but it couldn’t have been for this long.
“The wedding was months ago Kat.” John frowned slightly, things working behind his eyes. “You were missing for a while.”
“Which is why I originally asked him to come over.” Jervis pitched in, not helping my mood lighten at all.
“I really don’t mean to be rude, but I think I might leave.” I smiled at both of them. “I’m still not used to sleeping much and I should probably rest.”
“Of course!” Jervis grinned at me, stood up and turning like a dancer, lifting up one leg while he spun.
“Nice chasse.” I laughed.
“It’s a Pirouette. Chasse is a way to travel across the floor.” Jonathan corrected me quickly. I looked at him oddly and he finally realized what he said. “Or so I’ve heard.” He tried to cover, mumbling to himself.
“And how would you know that Johnny?” I grinned over at him. His cheeks turned a vibrant pink while he pretended to clean his glasses.
“I… I took ballet as a child, many boys did.” He grumbled, giving me a look to drop the conversation.
“Sure, sure Mister King of Nightmares and Dancing!” I laughed as I opened the door, grabbing my nearby bag.
“Are you sure you’re alright to go out on your own?” Jonathan called after me and I nodded. I stepped outside and turned back to grab the door handle.
“Goodbye Cheshire! I shall see you soon for tea!” Jervis laughed as I closed the door, leaving the madmen to their tea.
“I need to find that dang warehouse.” I muttered to myself, adjusting the shoulder strap before leaving the sidewalk and crossing the still empty street.
Almost Easter? The days in the sewer kinda melded together since I was unable to distinguish what was day and night. I mean sure, my super hearing let me know when traffic and heartbeats were the loudest, but still some days there seemed to be more traffic continually. Since it was warmer this time of year, there were more people out and about during the night. The sidewalks were crowded with people going to clubs, theatres, or just going home. Used to, I would have clumsily made my way through the sea of people, hitting a lot of them with my cumbersome bag. Now, I easily weaved my way through the mass of bodies; staying almost invisible to them.
After another hour I was still on my feet, lost beyond belief. I was on a long road on the outskirts of town… I think.
“I’m going to get kidnapped and sold to some old creepy dude in India at this rate.” I mused to myself, kicking a loose rock down the pavement.
A couple yards back, someone stepped in a puddle whilst following me. I’d heard them fifteen minutes ago when I was still back in town; they were very loud and terrible at following people. I dropped my bag next to me and opened it, rummaging through my clothes and random objects. I pulled out my cane and zipped everything back up, facing my soon-to-be attacker. In the next two minutes they showed up, completely surprised by my actions.
“If you plan on following me, you might wanna learn how to fly.” I smirked, hearing their heartbeat quicken. The person was tall and lean, staying at a distance that they thought would hinder my sight; wrong. I could see their face perfectly, it was dear Edward Nigma. “Shouldn’t you be watching people through computer monitors?” I growled at him, picking up my bag and heading back into town.
“Were you planning on a trip to Bludhaven? Or were you simply lost?” He tried teasing me, avoiding my question. “What have you been up to for the past two months Katrina?”
“Don’t’cha already know?” I spat at him. “You’re supposed to know all.”
“I don’t see what your problem is with me. Ever since you ran out of the church, you’ve tried tearing my head off.”
“You stood up to object to their marriage!” I threw my hands up in the air, stopping before him. I glared up into his face and could feel the air crackle. “After saying you loved me so often, we get on a plane to go to their wedding and you start acting weird. You don’t want to talk to me, you don’t want to be around me, you don’t even want to look at me. One minute you’re smiling and loving me, and the next you’re either mad at me for hanging out with Chris or you want nothing to do with me! You said you didn’t mean for something to continue for so long or get so serious. Were you talking about us? The moment you said, ‘I object’ I could see you and her exchange something. It was something I only thought you and I had and… and I got hurt Edward. You led me on for so long only to break my heart for being so foolish, is that your ploy?”
I hadn’t realized I started crying. My breathing was labored and I felt tired from everything. There was a small storm coming from the south now, no doubt because of my outburst. Edward looked at me oddly, as if he were sad and amused at the same time. He reached out and pulled me into a brief embrace. When he pulled back he was smiling sadly.
“Kat, that was never my plan.” He spoke softly. “I did think I was in love with you for quite some time. You intrigued me and I felt the need to protect you. Throughout everything I genuinely felt for you. At the wedding I spoke out because John and Luna were getting married out of fear. Jonathan was afraid of loosing her and needed to be reassured that she wouldn’t leave; it wasn’t because he loved her. I realized this and hoped he would as well, but they didn’t. After you left that day, I started thinking about our relationship as well and realized something. You do intrigue me, and that’s what I fell in love with. I could never quite figure you out, you were a puzzle of sorts and I needed to solve it. I’m not saying I’ve pieced everything together, but now that I’ve realized that I understand why you and I just aren’t compatible.” He shrugged, as if it were no big deal; as if it shouldn’t hurt.
“And that’s supposed to fix everything?” My voice cracked and my vision hazed over for a second. “I’m supposed to stop hurting because the almighty Riddler says it should be logical?” I growled, my cane activating without tapping. Ed’s eyes flickered to it in question before returning to my face. I could hear thunder rumbling in the sky as the clouds came closer to us.
“I think we should go back home and you should rest. I don’t where you’ve been or anything, but you need to sleep.” He declared, reaching for my bag. I shot out my hand and had it on my shoulder quicker than he expected; thank you Ra’s. Ed eyed me for a minute before turning around and walking back towards town. I looked up and the storm started to break apart, revealing the beautiful moon above us.
Of course, there’s a moon in the midst of all this.
--
“Here we are.” Edward smiled as we entered a familiar looking alleyway. He knocked on a couple bricks and a door opened, revealing green interior. I continued standing outside after he walked in. “Aren’t you coming?” He turned to look at me and I shook my head.
“Not in the slightest, I just needed to get back into town.” I replied, turning and walking out of the alleyway. Here was attempt number two of getting to the warehouse that first came to me when I ‘woke up.’ I heard the door shut and footsteps come towards me. “Go back inside Edward.”
“I’m not Edward, but thanks for the concern.” Jonathan sounded upset. I spun around with a guilty smile.
“Hi Johnny.” I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. “What’s cookin?”
“Oh, nothing much. I left Jervis’ and went to the warehouse to check up on you. Only, you weren’t there.” He lifted an eyebrow and smirked. “And when I looked out the window, I could see a storm front mysteriously form on the outskirts of town. So I came over here to ask Edward if he had any cameras that had picked you up, but he was missing too. Luna told me he left around the same time you would’ve been on this side of town. Speaking of which, why were you over here?”
“I, uh, got lost.” I mumbled. “I can’t remember how to get to the warehouse. I can still barely see it in my mind.” I sighed in frustration. “I can remember some things perfectly, and other things distortedly. But I still can’t remember directions worth a dang.”
“It’s quite alright.” He laughed, putting a hand on my shoulder and leading me in the opposite direction I had been headed in earlier. “It’s almost two in the morning, are you still good to walk?”
“I don’t need to be carried John.” I laughed and rubbed my eyes. “I can make it.”
“I can still call a cab if you’d rather.” He offered after taking my bag from me.
“And have them learn my secret hideaway? I think not Mister Crane!” I laughed from lack of sleep.
We quickly arrived at the old place, more memories flooding my head from my time here. I opened the front door and turned on the lights before flopping down on Johnny’s couch.
“I’m gonna sleep out here.” I yawned, my eyes getting heavier and heavier. “No engery left.” I mumbled, slipping into the sweet realm of sleep.