18797/Return of the Laugh Track

Return of the Laugh Track
Date of Scene:	10 August 2024
Location:	Gotham Alleys - Fairview
Synopsis:	Birds and Clowns! Working Together! Mass Hysteria!
Cast of Characters:	The Joker, Tim Drake

---

The Joker has posed:
A man died in Gotham City tonight.

Well, it's a big city. More than one man died tonight. More than one was murdered, statistics insist. More important people, more painfully, more creatively. Douglas Wendig is simply lying against an alley wall in Fairview, slumped, pale, unseeing. Dougie Wendig wasn't a particularly good or evil man. He made deliveries for a company that decided all of its employees were independent contractors, which doubled his work hours for half his pay. He spent a lot of time in these sad alleys grabbing a smoke or some other brief relief from the way of the world. There is something unique about Dougie, though.

Not his face, twisted into a rictus grin, the mark of a man who laughed himself to death. That's hardly new.

No what is unique about dear Doug is the man in front of him, a tall, gaunt figure. The thin white duke of death, wrapped in royal purple and marked with the same eternal smile.

The sign of the Joker!

"Well." The Joker says, looking at the dead man and poking his eye, a little, to make sure. "Shucks."

Tim Drake has posed:
Evidence. The number one thing that someone like Tim Drake pays attention to. And when some of his surveillance lets him know that a certain location is more empty than it usually is, there's cause for the Next Best Detective to suit up and check things out. He should've been out on patrol an hour or so ago anyway. But being in the lab working on a cure for vampirism takes some time.

Anyway!

Silent swooping from a rooftop nearby, the arrival of (Red) Robin is one that keeps the vigilante on the high ground. It's hard to miss the Clown Prince of Crime but it's also a good thing to not get too close when one has not prepared for such. There's just some bears you don't poke without a cage ready.

"Awwwww." (Red) Robin makes his presence known from the lower roof, his hands on his utility belt in preparation. "I was hoping I'd get to say 'Language' or something like that. But you censored yourself. Lame." Oh the sarcasm. Just in case Joker needed to know which 'Robin' had arrived on the scene.

Tim's tone changes to one of a more serious nature. "You don't have to kill whenever you're seeking attention. Try graffiti on a billboard next time." Domino Mask Glare.

The Joker has posed:
"This city." Joker tells Doug's corpse, in a very confidential sort of tone, "Has a real bird problem. Not afraid of humans anymore, see? Too many tourists getting them bloated and gouty on stale bread and hot dogs." Joker gives a little sigh. "So you can't walk a block without one of them screaming some kind of mating call from the roof. It's exhausting."

Joker takes out a white linen handkerchief and lowers it, gently, on Doug's face. "Poor soul." Joker says to no one, looks up, and does a double take. "Oh my gosh it's Robin! When did puberty beat you up kid? Not wearing the ninja socks and the computer club badge anymore, huh? Explains the attitude. You were always the polite one, too."

"I know you won't believe me." That awful mouth widens in what is unfortunately a smile."But I'm innocent." A pause, a finger to his chin. "Well, no, but I didn't do THIS crime."

Tim Drake has posed:
"You know what? You're right. Can't lose my manners just because you're an insane psychopath with a track record of murder in the hilarious degree." (Red) Robin focuses his lenses on the body for a moment to do some preliminary scanning and take some visual stills. He keeps his hands hidden beneath the cape as well because he's kind of doing his best Batman at the moment because with the whole cape draped over his shoulders bit.

"If I ask how you are will we be having a conversation or will we be fighting? I'm really only here to investigate. I didn't expect a potential suspect to still be around."

Robin III is also keeping a very close eye on Joker and movements and looking for any tells or signs that he may be lying or telling the 'truth'. Joker is a tricky one so it's always a good idea to keep his dossier up to date so that those that come across him (much like he has in this moment) can survive the encounter.

"... By the way, if you /did/ do it? Pretty sure your usual room in Arkham is available. We could make this a really easy trip back."

The Joker has posed:
"You're the detective." Joker's grin doesn't widen, because it can't, the human body has limits. Sometimes. "Look at the evidence. Does this match my, what do you people call it, 'modus operendi'? Does it fit the pattern you and your big brooding boss have tried to lock me into?"

"Because I note an 'if', already. You already have your doubts." Joker promises nothing, sitting there, unmoved by Robin's paranoia or his distance. Everything on that man's body is a weapon, Tim, you know that. "I'm curious if you've figured out the important question tonight."

Joker pulls an object out of his coat; a syringe. He even sterilizes it with an alcohol wipe, and is moving towards the already desecrated corpse. "Because it's rather important, Geek Robin, and I want you to keep up."

Tim Drake has posed:
"I didn't sign up for a crash course in Knives Out, Joker. We don't have to make this a thing." Tim doesn't particularly want to get into the middle of trying to deal with Joker and his mind games while also doing the work on the corpse that he came to do. "And I'm not going to tell you what we think your MO is! Come on!" Tim breaks his own stay draped rule to wag a finger in Joker's direction. A finger wag that clearly says 'nice try'.

"Uh. Could we not disturb my crime scene? If you /are/ innocent, you could just walk away and let me do what I came to do. And I'll make sure that when Batman runs into you this time? No elbows to the solar plexus. It's the least I can do."

Tim's not going to challenge Joker too much as this entire location could be booby trapped or something. But maybe he can keep the attention on himself long enough so that the crime scene doesn't get too Joker'd.

The Joker has posed:
"Oh you don't want to do the big drawing room reveal scene? Agatha Christie'd die of shame Boy Blunder." Joker says, and can't help but bark a laugh at his little Naurto finger waggle. What a little shit. "It's just fun when the Gotham Furcon janitorial crew tries to pick my brain. It feels like our tax dollars are paying for something."

Everything he says is a clue, a lie, or a joke.

Joker looks at Tim to see if he'll actually move to stop him. "I can't go relying on vigilante justice, Robin. You see, if anyone's the victim here, it's me." Joker gestures at his chest. "My brand's being infringed on. You can't just make anyone laugh themselves to death in this town! Besides being MY act, well."

"It's sloppy, isn't it." Joker says in that dangerous tone of voice. "Like a practice run."

Tim Drake has posed:
Which is one of the reasons why Tim's been recording this entire session. From his own perspective and from above with one of his stealth drones. The quiet thing has been hovering above and recording this entire interaction just to make sure that Tim has something he can go over when he makes it back to his Nest. If Joker's back in town then it's time to make a new tab on the ever growing dossier.

"We're only in the first chapter." Robin probably shouldn't be feeding into this but he can't help it. Also, it keeps Joker playful and not deadly. "Besides, I'm more of a Columbo reveal fan anyway."

(Red) Robin still doesn't make any sudden movements even if his tone changes to one that's slightly softer and maybe even in a bit of agreement with Joker's take on this whole thing. "If you've got a copycat then we definitely need to stop him. For your image and my sanity."

The Joker has posed:
Joker's face twitches a little.

He hates when a Bat-disciple makes a point. It's what enrages him about this particular incarnation of Robin: he'll TALK. Like Joker's just another criminal. It's pathetic. It's infuriating. It's hilarious.

"A good old fashioned team up?" Joker says, rubbing his chin. "I don't know, Opie, if you've earned that yet. And the big man will, for sure, be leaping to uncomfortable conclusions. On the other hand, if I kill you here, you can't prove me right. It's a puzzlement."

"I think it is in myyy best interest to let you do the legwork." Joker says, stepping further back into the alley. "So I'll see you...next time. No reason to fight until you try and stop me from dealing with this act-stealer, after all."

Tim Drake has posed:
"I hate that we're in agreement on this one but I don't like copycats anymore than you do. I'll take care of it." It really does feel weird that he's making some kind of light deal with the Joker here and that he's not jumping wildly into a fight with him but that's how you end up catching a crowbar to the skull a few dozen times and that's never really good for the partners of Batman.

"Just do me a favor and take /all/ of your Chattering Teeth with you? I hate those things." Robin III shudders just a bit in the midst of remembering the last time he had to deal with a pile of those things. They hurt like a bitch sometimes. "Consider it a professional courtesy. Just this once." That's about as close to a team up as these two are going to get.

The Joker has posed:
Joker just sort of looks at Tim.

He laughs, once, and throws a set of snapping, razor sharp false teeth at the ground.

"See you soon, Boy Blunder." Joker says, sliping off into Gotham's endless gloom.

What an asshole.