think big. and kinky.

[laughingcure]

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[laughingcure]

"Just unlock it and then you can skedaddle for a few. Get yourself a hot chocolate." Jerome told the guard and waited for the door to be unlocked, while folding a piece of toilet paper he'd found on the ground. He tucked it into the guard's shirt pocket as if it was a tip and patted it gently. "Off you go. Buy yourself something pretty."

He watched the guard walk off, shaking his head. "I worry for the state of our security here, honestly. Lax. Very lax. Drives one crazy how underfunded mental healthcare is."

With that, Jerome was left alone. Alone with Jonathan Crane, that was. He walked through the door into the cell, looking around and whistling. "Spooky. Scary. Skeletons. Really does send shivers down my spine."

He shuddered in an exaggerated way and then turned his focus to the man himself. "Oi, Jonny. Is anyone home or can you at least take a message after the beep?"

[jonboy]

Jonathan looked in the direction of Jerome but he mostly just stared, his movements sluggish and slow. He had been drugged heavily for the past two weeks after his outburst during shock therapy. It was difficult to keep himself under control, not with the Scarecrow looming. It was always watching, always following, always after him.

Even now, he felt it in the room, all of his hairs were on end and his pulse was racing.

Jonathan shoved himself back against the wall and covered his head with his hands, not in the mood to talk to anyone. His brain was full of fear and cotton. He hated the sedatives - they didn't help the fear, they just ensured he couldn't fight the Scarecrow.

No message, no talking, no one else was worth it right now. He just had to keep himself still and safe from the bad things.

[laughingcure]

"See, the thing with you... I appreciate the vision. I really like what you've done--" Jerome bent down by Jonathan and knocked on his head lightly. "--with the place. What you've had done to it, anyway. And, your interior decorating skills?"

He gestured around the place sweepingly, taking it all in again. "Top notch. A true artist. The only thing we've got to work on with you is the single-minded focus. I like the gimmick. Fear's great. Fear's versatile. We've just got to unleash it. Unleash you."

Crouching down in front of Jonathan, he put his heavy hands on his shoulders and looked at his face. "You have to diversify a little. So much more to fear. So much more to scare. Y'know?"

That said, he suddenly leaned forward and bit Jonathan's neck, hard.

[jonboy]

"No, no! Please, don't!" Jonathan cried out as he jerked away from the monster invading his space. There was rambling, words and then suddenly, like a demon lurking, there was a burst of something and there was Jerome, right in his personal space. "No, no, y--y-you don't understand!"

The bite made Jonathan cry out, his body seizing and his brain went into full panic mode. It always seemed to happen. Any time he had external pressures, the internal mechanism went array.

"It's j--just m-my head. It's my head." This wasn't a monster. "It's n-not a Sc-Scarecrow. It's a b-bully-jock."

[laughingcure]

"Bully jock, yeah? Has a ring to it." Jerome kissed where he'd left a bite mark, then laughed. Of course he laughed. He felt it couldn't hurt to get Jonathan used to that beautiful sound. One day, all of Gotham would be haunted by it. Seemed only right to get started early with someone this consumed by fear. "Jock, joke. There's something there, I can feel it."

He smacked his lips and petted Jonathan's head. "It is your head. But you're all alone here stuck inside your head, so what's worse than whatever's lurking in there? You've got the Scarecrow already. Add the clown. Make it a circus."

[laughingcure]

Jerome rapped his fingers against the door, while the guard, clearly nervous and wearing the headphones, unlocked it for him with fumbling fingers.

"It's visiting hours, Mr Tetch!" Jerome announced it and then entered in the door. No headphones on him, just his beautiful smile and his hands in his pockets as he looked at the newcomer. What shiny hair he had! That was pretty. He ought to make sure the man got access to proper shampoo. "It's an honour to meet you. Mad Hatter, right? I love that book, with the flying monkeys? Great stuff. I tried to make some monkeys fly back in the circus. It worked all right at first, but they could never stick the landing."

He laughed and looked at Jervis, filled with mirth. "You know about me?"

[slithy]

Jervis was fascinated. Every visitor had headphones, they avoided him, they didn't go all the way into his cell and yet - here was a strange looking young man, happily chatting away at him. About Wizard of Oz.

"Well hello, my fascinating intruder. I have a better hat, this one is a trifle cruder. The hatter is not with the flying apes, he's from the one with the girl getting into all sort of scrapes. Down the rabbit hole, it's all very droll." Jervis explained swiftly, talking exceptionally fast in a manic sense before catching himself and trying to school it in. He had control. He had control. What he said had purpose, he had to remember that.

"You're the clown boy who lost his face." That's about all he knew. "But you can hardly notice." You could.

[laughingcure]

"Really? See, I think you can see a bit of a trace here." Jerome pointed at a corner of his mouth as if he didn't have very obvious scarring all over his face. He sighed, exaggeratedly, and then simply shrugged. "I really don't mind, I think it brings out my personality. Makes me shine."

Jerome walked over to Jervis's bed and sat down himself, very readily making himself at home. "So you're a poet and you know it, huh? Good, I love freaks with self-awareness." That's what he prided himself in too. Among other things. "I don't think I ever read your book, sorry. Circus kid, you know. We don't get the best education, but we do get to see our skank mothers sucking off a ventriloquist. You don't want to imagine the moans, trust me. Harmonised with himself, that perv."

What a beautiful core memory. "Anyway, Hatter. I like you. You can really liven up a place, can't you? Love that for us."

[slithy]

"Now, now, I don't like being called a freak. And honestly, friendship is not something I seek." Jervis dismissed, a little on edge, not appreciating this man sitting on his bed and talking so openly without invitation or request. This was not an open house, this was his depressing little cell and it would stay that way. "I don't believe I will be leaving this cell."

He shrugged his shoulders and shot Jerome an uneasy smile. "Up, boy - I'm asking very nice. If you don't listen, you will pay the price."

He gestured with his hand, firm and unflinching, resisting the urge to fall into any trances with him. This shouldn't be too hard. He was an idiot boy, not a man. Not worth discussing any kind of plan.

[laughingcure]

"Bossy, aren't you? That makes sense. Don't start nagging me though, that really sets me off. You never want to tug on a clown's mommy issues, you'll get a whole clown car's worth of stuff you are not prepared to deal with." Jerome obviously wasn't listening to Jervis's instructions, instead he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, legs spread. Looking at Jervis with a widening smile.

"Are you doing it yet, kiddo? Are you trying to whammy good old Jerome with those amazing powers?" He seemed almost giddy at the prospect, with pure and dark madness steady in his eyes. "Come on, little man. Do it to me. Let's see is I'll be your bitch."

[slithy]

"It's me and you all over again. Thought hopefully with less hurting and pain." Jervis mused as they sat in the back of a van, heading towards Arkham. Jervis seemed awfully chipper for a many who had lost a pint and a half of blood, got shot at all day and almost blown up. Yet there he was, chatting away to his old friend.

"You're a big man who puts on a show. Unfortunately that's now a no-go." Jervis bounced a little in his seat, excited. "Riddle, riddle, riddle. Who's about to be second fiddle?"

Jerome would have fun with Edward, he was so sure of it. So would Jonathan.

[riddleman]

His mind kept replaying it. Not just the last time Oswald faced him down, the way the man had ultimately won against him. So much more kept being shown to him. Oswald sinking down into the water of the pier after he'd shot him. Oswald singing and dancing in his hallucination. Lucius Fox giving him answers he didn't want to hear. Isabella with her dyed her, wearing Kristen's glasses. Kristen, telling him he belonged in Arkham. Oswald. Oswald, again and again, and his own stupid voice saying that he'd do anything for him.

What he felt, ultimately, he couldn't say. Irritation at Jervis Tetch, that much was easy enough to process. "Can you shut up, man?" Probably not. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. Back to Arkham. Granted, safer than whatever Oswald might have planned for him before the GCPD intervened, but still not what he wanted. A place of horrors then and he doubted it had improved.

Looking at Jervis, he sighed. "I don't suppose you want to help us both out, do you?" Because it was certainly within his power. "Sorry about the bomb. Nothing personal, I assure you."

[slithy]

Jervis laughed at the insistence he shut up, unable to help himself. He was not shutting up, he was manic right now. Adrenaline and excitement all pumped through him, fear too. He hoped Jerome was in a good mood, he didn't like when he was unhappy. Then Jervis was unhappy. Unhappy and hurt.

He hummed idly to himself and then looked at Edward, almost surprised at his question. Huh.

"Wow." Jervis titled his head to the side. "How?" He looked around and then checked his cuffs, inspecting them curiously. "Locked tight. No flight."

[riddleman]

Surrounded by idiots. Edward stared at Jervis and wondered whether he would ever in his life have a moment where he didn't feel surrounded by idiots, short of spending time with Lucius Fox again. There was a blissful thought. But no, first defeated by that tantrum throwing man-child and now faced with this fool. "Your powers," he finally said, forcing his voice to be calm.

Imitating a clock ticking sound, he hoped that would help Jervis figure out what he meant. "Get. Us. Out."

[slithy]

"Oh. Oh no, no, no." Jervis shook his head rapidly, looking at Edward like he was very foolish indeed. "We're going home, dormouse. We're going to the safe house." He didn't know what his next plan was and he was still woozy from blood loss and head trauma. He needed to regroup, rededicate and talk to Jerome and Jonathan.

"We're going to have tea. March Hare, Cheshire cat, dormouse and me." He clapped his hands together, excited and happy. The guard banged his fist against the plexiglass.

"Shut up!"

[jonboy]

"Edward. Wake up." Jon had gone by himself, he didn't want to scare Edward with too many people being in the room. Of course, that was comical to think as he loomed over Edward's bed in a makeshift mask made out of a pillow case, holding chemicals in one hand and a scythe in the other.

He felt Edward would be excited, their moment has come. "Your time has come."

[riddleman]

"Oh, oh no!" Edward wasn't much of a screamer, but his eyes were wide, his face blanched and he tried to scramble back against the wall, staring up at whatever this was supposed to be. "Oh dear. No, we are not-- How about you just go?"

Maybe he could reason his way out of this. Who was this? The voice was too muffled to make out.

[jonboy]

"Edward, are you-- oh." Oh. Silly. Jonathan giggled a little because he didn't even think how this looked. He pushed his mask back so it sat on the top of his head and smiled at Edward. "Sorry. I forgot I had the mask on. How silly of me."

With an awkward grin, he gingerly set the scythe aside and then looked at Edward. "Do you have anything you want or need to get on your way out? We're leaving. Me, you and the other two."

[riddleman]

"...no, I don't have anything." Edward tried to regain his composure, feeling quite foolish. But, in his defence, that pillow-case mask looked both ridiculous and horrifying somehow. "Are we all electing to wear those kind of masks, because I really don't know if it's very me."

He reached for his glasses and put them on, then got out of bed and cleared his throat. "Is there an actual plan or are we improvising?"

[jonboy]

"Hurry up or Jerome will get annoyed. We can walk and talk." Jonathan grabbed his scythe and opened the door for Ed. Outside, chaos was starting to reign as all the doors had been opened and inmates were tentatively exploring their newfound freedom. Jonathan took Edward's wrist and pulled him along with him. "I vouched for you coming along so try not to go all Riddler and make me a fool. This isn't your plan, it's Jerome's."

And it had to stay that way or Jerome would try to make him eat his pillowcase. Again. "Jerome must find a soup uncle, which I assume is circus slang, so Jervis is distracting the GCPD. You and I will be getting chemicals."

[laughingcure]

Jerome reached the top floor, only slightly out of breath. He leaned against the door and rapped his fingers against the front panel, then simply ran his nails along it, making an unsettling scraping sound. "Helloooooo, bro! I know you're in there, Jerry."

And Jerome wasn't certain whether Jeremiah would open the door or attempt to - foolishly - escape through any alternate paths. He was giving him a chance. Why not have a peaceful reunion. "Come out, come out. That's where you are."

He chuckled, leaning his head back. "If you don't come out I'll huff!" He slammed his hand against the door, making it rattle in the hinges. "I'll puff!" Lowering his voice, he moved to speak right into the camera. "And I'll blow your house down."

[mazing]

He had been preparing for this for years, he had been waiting for the day ever since the Maniax. He knew Jerome would come and he still wasn't ready. Jeremiah froze, staring at the door as he heard his brother slamming up against it. He wished he could say he acted right away but he didn't. He sat at his desk, terrified.

At the final hit, he finally caught himself and immediately took off running. There were ways out of the apartment. There were always ways out. Dead ends too. When he build this apartment complex, he made the top floor specifically for this exactly issue.

He could get away before Jerome got him. He was smart, it couldn't be hard to outwit him.

[laughingcure]

"You know how you never had friends and I was always super popular? Still true now. Friends around the house. Friends up on the roof. Friends down in the basement." Jerome was loud, that was another thing that had always been true. Loud and seeing no need for Jeremiah to say a word in return in order to keep up a conversation with him.

"Don't startle any of the ones on the roof, lil bro. They might fall." Jervis always did such a stellar job.

And Jerome knocked again, while deciding whether he had to run any place. "Knock, knock."

[mazing]

Jeremiah ran to his cameras at the strange detail, looking at the screen and seeing a line of people on the roof. On the ledge. What on Earth. And there was a man in a top hat just standing there. Jervis Tetch. He kept adjusting his cameras but he couldn't catch anyone else, he just saw movement.

If he went down, he left himself exposed to whatever was lurking. If he went up, he risked hypnotism. And if he opened the door, he risked Jerome.

An unwinnable situation.

He stood in the room, arms pulled against himself, frozen in indecision. "What do you want from me?!"

[laughingcure]

"I just want some good old family time. Already reconnected with our uncle and now I want to check in on my little brother." Jerome inspected his hangs, adjusting the gloves a little so the seem was in a better position. Kind of irritating otherwise. "I miss you, Jerry. I love you!"

He smiled and then shrugged. "I mean, am I going to just kill you?" He tilted his head. "Good question. That's what you want to know, isn't it? Itty bitty Jerry, hiding from big bad Jerome. Are you going to tell on me again?"