As the door chime ringed throughout the shop the owner whom ran the shop looked up to show a thirty-three man with thick black hair and deep blue eyes dressed in a white suit shirt with a apron around his waist with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows which were covered in flour while a deep blue vest and tie lied against a cushy brown leather chair in the parlor area of the shop. He was cutting up fresh pie dough with a sharp knife before he slowly looked up seeing a woman in his shop.
Dick: "A customer!" He shouted out in shock while he wiped his hands free of flour and walked up towards the woman to pull her into the shop as he began singing to the confused woman.
Wait! What's your rush? What's your hurry? You gave me such a...fright! I thought you was a ghost!
Half a minute, can't ya sit? Sit ya down! Sit!
Dick gently pushed the woman into a shop's booth before going back to his counter that was covered in flour
All I meant is that I haven't seen a customer for weeks. Did ya come here for a pie, ma'am?
Do forgive me if my head's a little vague.
His fingers snatch up a roach from the counter to toss it onto the ground to crush it with the heel of his shoe before looking at the woman with a kind smile on his face.
Ugh! What is that?
But you'd think we had the plague.
From the way that people
keep avoiding!
He put on his oven mitts and took out a pan of fresh and hot pies to sent them onto a cooling rack. He set the tray onto the counter and put more pies onto it before popping it back it into the oven to bake. He looked over at the woman as he took out a glass and opened up a bottle of ale pouring it into the glass while plating a hot pie.
No you don't!
Heaven knows I try, ma'am!
But there's no one comes in even to inhale!
Right you are, ma'am, would you like a drop of ale?
Dick picked up the plate and glass as he walked towards the woman whom looked at him as if he'd lost his ever loving mind til the pie and glass were put in front of her.
Mind you I can hardly blame them!
These are probably the worst pies in Gotham.
I know why nobody cares to take them!
I should know!
I make them!
But good? No, The worst pies in Gotham, Even that's polite! The worst pies in Gotham!
If you doubt it, take a bite!
Jester slowly picked up the pie and took a hesitant bite as Dick was lading two heaping scoops of a rotten looking berry mash into a raw crust of pie. Jester set the pie back onto her plate with a disgusted expression on her face.
Jester: "Ugh!"
She took out her handkerchief from her dress pocket before spitting the rotten pie bite into the cloth then took up the glass of ale to wash away the taste.
Is that just, disgusting?
You have to concede it!
It's nothing but crusting!
Here drink this, you'll need it.
Jester slowly sipped on the alcohol as she watched Dick making the pies while roaches crawled onto the counter which he quickly killed under his heel.
The worst pies in Gotham
And no wonder with the price of meat
what it is, when you get it.
Never thought I'd live to see the day.
Men'd think it was a treat findin' poor animals what are dyin' in the street.
Dick looked up at Jester as he began kneading the top the pies out with his hands then began using a rolling pin. Jester set her glass down onto the table as she coughed lightly in disbelief that the taste from the pie was still in her mouth. Dick began telling her the gossip around Gotham as the placed the top crust onto the new pie.
Mr. Hatter has a pie shop.
Does a business, but I notice something weird.
Lately, all his neighbors cats have disappeared.
Have to hand it to him!
What I calls, enterprise!
Poppin' pussies into pies!
Wouldn't do in my shop!
Just the thought of it's enough to make you sick!
And I'm telling you them pussycats is quick.
He sang out seriously before he put more firewood into the ovens then poured the woman more ale into her glass then headed back to his counter.
No denying times is hard, ma'am!
Even harder than the worst pies in Gotham.
Only lard and nothing more- Is that just revolting?
All greasy and gritty?
It looks like it's molting!
And tastes like...we'll pity.
Dick picked up his knife as he sharpen it on a leather strop by him while he watched the woman sipping on the glass of ale.
A man alone...with limited wind
And the worst pies in Gotham!
Ah, ma'am times is hard, Times is hard!
The man's deep blue eyes watched a roach crawl onto his counter before cutting off it's head with his freshly sharpen knife then looked over at the woman.
Dick: "Trust me, love. It's gonna take a lot more then ale to wash the taste of these out." He said seriously before placing his knife aside. "Come with me, I'll get you a bottle of gin."
The man said as he washed off the flour off his arms before unrolling his sleeves and put back on his tie and vest. He escorted the woman to his parlor room and got out a set of shot glasses with a bottle of gin to pour the drink into the glasses before handing the woman one.
Dick: "There you go, Love." He said kindly while the two drank the shots down as the woman noticed old photos of herself but younger with the man in front of her as children and young adults then her wedding photo. "Have a seat and warm up your bones."
Jester: "You got a room over the shop here? Times is so hard, why don't you rent it out?" She questioned him honestly as he sat down beside her.
Dick: "What, up there? No, I won't go near it. People think it's haunted." He said seriously as he drank down his shot of gin.
Jester: "Haunted?" She asked truly confused thinking her love and daughter where up there, she held on to that hope for fifteen years of her miserable life. She held onto her glass carefully in her gloved hands.
Dick: "Yeah. And who's to say they're wrong? You see, years ago, something happened up there. Something not very nice." He said honestly before he began explaining to the woman whom honestly looked familiar a bit to him singing softly.
There was a barber as well tailor and her husband
And she was beautiful.
A proper artist with a pair of scissors and threads
But they transported her for life
And she was beautiful..."Y/n, her name was. Y/n M/n Quinnzel-Hale."
Dick sang/explained as his mind swirled with old memories of his own best friend, the dances they had in flower meadows of the uptown countryside. Her sweet smile, her laugh that could brighten anyone's day.
Jester: "What was her crime?" She asked looking at the fireplace as the flames warmed her skin.
Dick: "Foolishness." He said sadly before to explained to the woman in song again.
She had this husband, you see
Handsome little thing
Silly little nit
Had his chance for the moon on a string
Poor thing, Poor thing....
Dick explains as he remembered Harrison, a good man whom courted and wedded his friend made her happier then anything in the world but Dick kept his own feelings for Y/n locked away believing that if she were happy and loved it was good enough for him.
There was this Judge, you see
Wanted him like mad
Every day she'd send him a flower
But did he come down from her tower?
Sat up there and sobbed by the hour
Poor fool.
Ah, but there was worse yet to come, poor thing
Well, Johnathan calls on him, all polite
Poor thing, poor thing
The Judge, he tells him, is all contrite
She blames herself for his dreadful plight
He must come straight to his house tonight!
Poor thing, poor thing!
Of course, when he goes there, poor thing, poor thing.
They're havin' this ball all in masks
There's no one he knows there, poor dear, poor thing
He wanders, tormented and drinks, poor thing
The Judge has repented, he thinks, poor thing...
"Oh, where is Judge Gordon?" he asks
She was there, all right --Only not so contrite!
He wasn't no match for such craft, you see
And everyone thought it so droll
They figured he had to be daft, you see
So all of 'em stood there and laughed, you see
Poor soul! Poor thing!
Jester: "No!" She shouted out in pure disbelief and anger while tossing her glass into the flames. "Would no one have mercy on him?" She questioned as tears slowly began filling up her eyes.
Dick: "So, it is you... Y/n Quinnzel-Hale?" He asked before standing up to gently carress her now snow white pale face. "My dear friend, your finally home, love."
Jester: "Where is Harry?" She asked as she looked up into his eyes while tears slowly ran down her face. "Where is my husband, Dick?"
Dick: "He poisoned himself. Arsenic, from the apothecary around the corner. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me and she's got your daughter." He said honestly as he carefully wiped away her tears with a gentle hand as if she were a porcelain doll.
Jester: "She?..... Judge Gordon?" She questioned as her blood began to burn throughout her veins before she walks away from him towards the fireplace watching the roaring flames.
Dick: "Adopted her, like her own." He said honestly as she removed her earrings from her ears to toss them against the wall.
Jester: "Fifteen years...sweating in a living hell on a false charge. Fifteen years dreaming I might come home to a loving husband and sweet child." She said honestly as her lips curled into a snarl.
Dick: "Well, I can't say the years have been particularly kind to you, Y/n." He said honestly walking towards her til she turned around quickly
Jester: "No! Not Y/n, That woman is dead." She seriously while removing the ribbon from her hair slowly. "It's Ms. Jest now, Jester. And she will have her revenge." She said with her face slowly breaking out into a wide and crazed looking grin. "Take me upstairs, Dick please."