8435/A Fright At The Museum

A Fright At The Museum
Date of Scene:	26 October 2021
Location:	Ryker Heights - Founders Island
Synopsis:	The Joker robs a museum and threatens an old man! But is there a greater plan behind this seemingly random act of violence?
Cast of Characters:	The Joker, Jason Todd, Austin Reese, Dex Alruin

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The Joker has posed:
Gotham is a city choked in history; even ultra-modern Reyes Heights has its collection of classically designed buildings, sites of public interest, and little museums that don't show up on a toursit's guide to Gotham. One such is the McMullen Museum, situated in a modest row house off of a small park between leering, hungry skyscrapers. The McMullen, run by one Arthur McMullen, is a small testament to the legendary history of super-crime. Photos, posters, gadgets, mock ups of costumes, hunks of material, commemorative books and papers from the men and woman who've worked with the first generation of mystery men, all wrapped around a sensible old Gotham home. It's popular with college kids and for a certain sort of date that takes advantage of the lovely stretch of public park and small duck pond.

A van tears through the gates of the park. It's large and a faded shade of purple and no one in this cynical city doesn't recognize the symbol on both sides; a leering human face, chalk white with frightening green hair and wild candy red lips, and worst of all the smile, a row of perfectly square yellowed teeth.

The sign of the Joker!

The van screams to a stop, disrupting a family of little ducks who were napping in the nape of the evening. A side opens, and a pair of large men in clown makeup stomp out, armed with automatic weapons and violent expressions. They're wearing matching members only jackets with the Joker's symbol on the back. There's a fat man in the van who seems unimpressed. His name is Boffo. There is a short man who looks smug. His name is Bob.

Their boss doesn't need an introduction, stepping out of the passenger side of the van like he had all the time in the world. "Gentlemen, keep wary." The Joker adjusts the flower on his lapel, sniffing it delicately. "Thanks to this wearisome modern world, I don't doubt I'm on at least TikTok by now. Cameras everywhere, ugly little eyes peering through our flesh and feeding useless data to a bloated, starving monster that is the information economy."

Joker smiles; only Boffo knows to keep his head down when the boss gets 'philosophical'. "I hope they've got my good side!" Joker winks at the audience that exists in his head, adjusts his hat, and drop kicks the door open. "Arthur, Arthur McMullen! Homeowner's Association, I just wanted to have a word with you about the neighborhood FEEL for Halloween decorations this year!"

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason Todd, the Red Hood, is not normally one to be in this kind of neighborhood. It's too high class and there usually aren't enough thugs that need roughed up. He doesn't really date either, so that's right out. Why is he nearby?

There's a chocolaterie in the neighborhood that makes the best espresso in Gotham, or so he thinks. Strong too, which is why he only asks for three shots of it in his black coffee instead of four.

Thusly, he's stepping from the shop as the poor ducks go flying in terror from the reckless driving of the van. He's in line of sight when the garish logo comes into view. His hands start to shake. He heads the opposite direction down the block, turning the corner and seeming to chug the blazing hot coffee in one go.

Not a moment later, a bloody red motorcycle screams around the corner, engine roaring. The driver's expression hidden by his featureless red helmet, but the fury seems to carry through the glowing white eyes.

Austin Reese has posed:
This isn't really Austin's neighborhood. Normally he tends to stay pretty close to home, but Gotham is Gotham and so he finds himself wandering around parts of the city that he doesn't often visit. He had been riding his Harley when he watched a van crash through a gate and skid to a stop.

Unsure of what kind of accident may have just happened, he pulled his bike off to the side and dismounted. As he headed towards the van, he spotted the figures getting out of it, and then when he saw them wearing clown makeup. He's been living in Gotham long enough to know that's a bad sign. So he ducks for cover, and peers over the hood of a car. What the hell is he doing. He should just bail out.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex Alruin didn't frequent Gotham all that much. New York was seedy enough for his taste, but when there's a component that he needs for a drafted upgrade for his Proto-Shot that's only in one shop in Gotham, he has to make the exceptional trip. He carries an oversized bag on his back, a plain blue jacket over a red t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans helping him not stand out too much. However, since he's in the city anyway, there are certain things he is curious about, and the McMullen Museum was exactly the sort of place to slake that curiosity. He had heard in passing about the criminal elements of Gotham, the city famed for them as much as anything, and while there is the ever-present sense of dread in his gut, he DOES have his weapon. If nothing else, he can defend himself in a pinch, and apparently the McMullen is in the rich part of town.

    Surely that would be safe enough on a normal day, right?

    Right?

    A van screams past him, the tinkerer blinking as he breaks into a sprint. 'No no no no no,' he thinks, his legs pushing him along the path of the map clenched in his hand. As he sees the van stop up ahead, he glances at the map as he immediately moves for any sort of cover he can find in the area. The map confirms his fears: the van is parked outside the museum.

    Dex swallows, trying to keep his heart from racing as he glances out, noting the van and, more importantly, the face on the side. Even a New Yorker with a passing familiarity with Gotham knows that face. That... that's about the worst thing he could think of right now.

    He hears a motorcycle roaring into the area as well, and with a heavy sigh and a stupid thought, Dex slings the bag off his shoulders and opens it, revealing his Proto-Shot. He slings the battery into place on the small of his back and flicks the device to life, a low hum and a red glow signalling the power flowing into the weapon. He slides the bag under a nearby hedge, then moves slowly toward the McMullen Museum as the Joker kicks the door open. His hands tremble as he grips the Proto-Shot, his heart definitely pounding now.

The Joker has posed:
Julius and Nero, the Bambini Twins, are new recruits. Ex military, trained up by Bob (who's always pushed the paramilitary angle whenever he's able), and eager to prove their worth to one of the legends of the underworld. Both men see a maniac on a motorcycle charge them directly and grin cruelly to themselves. "ROC, boss?"

"Boys." Bob says, drawing his own pistol, "Let me tell you how I'm still alive; when Darkwing Duck over there charges at you on a motorcycle, you SHOOT."

Both big men turn their automatic rifles on the incoming Red Hood and send out a hail of fire, with more discipline and, worse, better aim than Jason may expect from people wearing the Joker's mark. Jason is making enough hell that Austin's approach isn't noticed quite yet. Dex is a bit more obvious, since he has a weapon emitting a distinct whine that would be easy to hear if automatic weapons fire wasn't going off. Bob's moved to defend the Joker's approach anyway, however, rubbing his ears and scowling. It may be a matter of time until the criminal spots you, Dex.

Meanwhile, the Joker's inside, grinning ghoulishly.

"W-what do you want?" Arthur McMullen is in his late sixties, holding his chest as he stumbles away from the Harlequin of hate. "You're...going to kill me, aren't you?!"

"Ha ha, well, the night's young, Arthur." Joker spins around and smashes a crystal key, presented to 'the Atom' back in the 40s for a daring rescue of a heiress from Nazi fifth columnists. "I'm not here for your life specifically, however. In fact you're very lucky! You see, I need something from you. Which means I need you alive. Where I need you alive depends entirely on how successful my little shopping trip is, are you following me Arthur?"

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason is not terribly surprised when the clown faced goons turn their weapons on him. He is slightly surprised that their nerves are stead and their aim is good. He slings the bike around in a reckless zig-zag, the bullets pinging into the armored chassis of the motorcycle. One round even scars the helmet, making Jason's head jerk back.

One can almost see the steam vent from his helmet.

He lays on the brakes of the bike hard, wrenching it into a slide. A switch is flicked, and a hatch opens by the saddle. Jason reaches in and grabs something before he leaps from the bike.

In a move he learned from his adopted father, the Red Hood arcs through the air, aiming to land behind and between the gunmen. Unlike Batman, he lacks the patience for true dramatics and rises to his full height quickly, brandishing the object he pulled from the bike.

A crowbar.

With a wordless growl, he lashes out at the two, sparing a glance over his shoulder at Bob as if to say 'You're next.'

Austin Reese has posed:
Well this escalated quickly. The massive amount of gunfire is at least not directed towards him. Austin can use that to his advantage. He uses the distraction provided by Red Hood to jump over the fence, landing with a heavy thud. Okay he's not sure what the hell he's doing, but decision making was never his strong suit.

There's another guy with a handgun over there that's gonna end up having a good shot at Red Hood. So Austin makes the terrible decision to rush the guy with the handgun from behind. Once he gets in range he'll move to kick the gun. Disarming the guy needs to at least be the first step in taking him down. He's just counting on the gunman being too distracted by the actual masked vigilante. Or maybe the other guy with the extremely loud firearm.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    It's loud enough already, with the Joker's vocalizations, the reaction of the patron inside, the motorcycle speeding down the road... and then the gunfire starts. Dex flattens himself against the nearest wall as the shots ring out, but he immediately registers that he's not the one under fire. Luckily for him, it seems there are bigger threats abound. He steps off the wall again, steadying his gaze and hands as he whispers to his weapon. "Deploy string," he says, and there's a bit of a flash as a hardlight string stretches to each arm of his bow and his fingers immediately wind around it. As Jason slides in on his bike, and Dex tries to keep from focusing on the Red Hood to keep himself steady for the task at hand, he raises his bow and takes aim at the thug between himself and the Joker, shifting to aim at one of his knees and drawing the string. There's a louder him in the air now, as though the air itself is vibrating with the frequency of the hardlight arrow being drawn into existence.

    There's the sound of more chaos to his side as Austin jumps in, but Dex seems to slide into the zone now, drawing a deep breath as his aim steadies even further.

    On the exhale, there's the distinct thrum of a bowstring being released, a red, glowing arrow crafted purely of hardlight sailing through the air, streaking the space between Dex and his target with a dull red haze.

The Joker has posed:
Nero takes the brunt of Red Hood's attack; his clown mask is padded so he doesn't just die from the crowbar to the skull, but the big man stumbles and slumps down against the side of the van. Julius is a little quicker on the uptake, ducking the swipe and grabbing for Jason's arms, trying to hold him in a half nelson. "Boffo!"

"This asshole again." Like Bob, Boffo's been with the Joker since the beginning, the man having somehow survived purge after purge of the Joker' gang. The big clown, wearing only a pair of paisley overalls and full body slap, ponderously gets up from his chair and grabs a length of chain, wrapping it around his fist and leading with a brutal straight, aiming to force Jason either further into Julius's grip or backwards far enough that Boffo can fully get out of the van and get enough room to really put the chain through its paces.

Bob matches Jason's glare with a cold, dismissive glance through a pair of outdated sunglasses. He's getting ready to turn on the guy wih the robot gun, when he's all but tackled by some kid hiding in the bushes. This is Gotham, right?, he thinks as he watches his gun fall in the ground and some football player looking asshole trying to kick his gun away. "Mistake." Bob says, a little of his furious intensity slipping out a he pulls out a switchblade and goes for Austin's ribs. "You tall fucks always make mistakes."

The battle outside heats up. The strange archer fires an energy arrow into the combat; it hits Bob's shooting hand, causing him to groan and stumble backwards.

"No appreciation for craft." Joker complains, grabbing the old man by the collar. "The Weeper. His old costume. It's not as second-hand as you think, Arthur. Where is it?!"

The old man gasps, feeling a pressure in his arm and chest. Survival grabs his throat. How much damage could the Joker do with a knock off costume? "In the back, the. The case on the left. I was just cleaning it!"

Joker pulls an arm around the man's neck and drags him, physically, into the back room.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason's biggest weakness, Bruce always told him, was anger. It blinds him, makes him takes risks and jump into things foolishly. It also gives him focus and the will to survive. To struggle through hardship to come out, if not on top, at least alive.

Julius manages to get the drop on Jason, pulling him into a full nelson. The eyes of his helmet seem to flare. He drives an elbow back at Julius, if only to get another gulp of air. He knew he should have worn the neck armor today.

"Hey," he rasps. "Got a joke. What's--ugh the difference between a crowbar and a baseball bat?"

Jason pauses a second as Boffo lays into him with a terrible body blow. He coughs roughly. "A crowbar only takes one hand." Another thing Jason learned from Bruce: Misdirection. Jason's free hand isn't free anymore. He drew a gun! He's shooting at Boffo because fuck this guy. Lifelong scum deserves it.

Austin Reese has posed:
Man he knew this was a bad idea before he did it, but it's way too late to worry about it now. Austin manages to jerk backwards and avoid getting cut too deeply by the blade, though blood is still drawn. Austin is not above fighting dirty though.

Austin does have a weapon of his own, it's a chain that he had inside his jacket. It's nothing too heavy, he's not swinging an anchor chain around, but it'll still hurt if he manages to land a blow with it.

He wheels around with the chain to get some momentum to it, and then swings the chain at Bob, "Probably should have just let the actual hero handle it, but three on one ain't the kinda odds I can get behind!"

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex lowers his bow as he sees his arrow strike home. It was a little high, but still had the desired effect of taking Bob off kilter. He seems to have assistance in this matter, however, as Austin barrels into him. He offers a nod, then takes a step toward the museum before pausing briefly. It seems as though Jason is having a struggle on the other side of the van, but he seems capable. Should he help? He takes another step toward the musuem, then keeps going. He would have to trust the Red Hood could handle himself. He makes his way toward the door, drawing his bow into a ready position and keeping his eyes flicking between the museum door and Bob, his most immediate threat so long as the Joker doesn't round on him. As Austin produces a chain and winds it up, the archer turns his full attention to helping McMullen.

    He makes it just in time to see the Joker manhandling the old purveyor and making their way to the back room. "Stop!" he says, drawing an arrow and, after a brief pause, aiming to send it into the door frame over the Joker's shoulder. As he releases the string, he instantly begins to regret his decision. That was the JOKER. What the hell is a nerd like him doing trying to stop one of the greatest criminals in the area?

    Well, he was in this far. If he were to go down, at least he might end up as a footnote.

The Joker has posed:
"Nero, Nero get up we've got a bunch of bat-fans showing up out of nowhere." Julius manages before the wind's knocked out of him thanks to the Red Hood. Worse, Boffo is shot by a hidden pistol in the Hood's costume. The big man stumbles backwards, looking at his red, bleeding shoulder in open mouthed shock.

Bob is overwhelmed by his injury and two strong men, taking a blow to the head from a chain wrapped fist and stumbling. Some rando, really? He's fought the Justice League and he's gonna die to-

The energy arrow goes off. Joker looks to be in real trouble, busy shoving a wrapped up sheet of paper into his coat, and with an old man held hostage against enemies who don't much care about that. The clown goes still.

Did he dodge that?! The arrow hits the glass case instead of Joker, who protects the old man with his armored overcoat. "Well." Joker says, as he holds the shaking old man closer, "That was a bit rude."

"Oh look at this, in his grown up pajamas." Dex Joker's looking through you, grinning to himself. "Gentlemen! Gentlemen! Clearly I shoud've brought more orcs and my apologies for the dull evening, but I'd kindly bring your attention to this sick old man in my tender grip. If everyone'd just take a breather and set down their weapons we can discuss this sticky situation like men of breeding and character."

"After all, I haven't told you all about the bomb yet." Joker says, eyes burning with malice.

Jason Todd has posed:
The Red Hood is both the best of Batman and the worst of him wrapped in one single package. He is skilled, efficient and very good at what he does. He is also furious and brutal, having abandoned the non-lethal code of the Bat some time ago. Behind the helmet, he sneers at Boffo's wound.

"Damn. I missed."

Using the confusion, he drops, slipping free of Julius's grip, swinging an elbow back to strike him in a very sensitive area. He surges upwards, spinning the crowbar in his grip to jab the straight end of it right at Boffo's gunshot wound. Unless the man's on some kind of drugs, it should put him on the ground in pain. Either way, Jason breaks away and surges towards the door, slinging past Bob and Austin, coming up to stop short near Dex.

He's breathing hard as his eyes land on the clown, shoulders heaving. His helmet stares at The Joker without expression, but his body language exudes almost as much malice as the Joker's gaze. He's silent. Staring. No quips. No cursing. Just staring death at the man who, well, made him who he is today. A drop of blood falls from the tip of the crowbar to splash on the floor artfully.

Austin Reese has posed:
Austin is actually surprised after he manages to take down Bob. He throws one more strike just to make sure the guy is down for the count, and then uses his other hand to cover up the cut to his torso. At least it seems like he'll be okay. At least until he hears the word 'bomb'.

"Oh fucks sake." He sure as hell was not planning this when he stopped his bike. After Red Hood goes rushing past him, he turns to follow. He doesn't exactly have anything to secure Bob with after all, so he's heading after the hero.

Well at least the guy in the mask. He did just shoot someone, perhaps hero is the wrong word. His best chance to get out of this situation at this point is the good guy with the gun.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    The archer seems to be concerned as the arrow flies. His aim is off again, and now he's down to five shots. The shattering of the glass case causes him to wince, but he's missed the Clown Prince and seemed to have slowed him down. As the Joker turns around, Dex freezes, his body locking up and his grip tightening on his Proto-Shot in terror. However, it's clear that he's below notice, but that fact brings him little solace. Just being in the presence of someone like him is enough to cause Dex to rethink his life choices.

    'I can't be doing this,' he thinks, 'This is suicide!'

    Nonetheless, he stands his ground, and as Red Hood steps up near him, the man recoils a bit and steps back. It's clear that this is the true encounter here, but if he CAN help, Dex is going to stay.

    ... Did he say bomb?

    Immediately Dex lowers his weapon, dismissing his bowstring with a "Dismiss," muttering, the bow still glowing but the bow shaking in his grip now. Dex's face is pale at that thought, and he studies the situation with the look of a man on the gallows. "B... bomb?" he asks, blinking a bit before straightening up. "Besides, why are you stressing him if you know he's sick?!" he eventually finds his full voice again.

    And asks maybe the dumbest question he could in the present situation. As Austin draws up with them as well, Dex is feeling a bit less nervous. Surely the numbers were in their favor now, even if Red Hood ended up being the heavy hitter.

The Joker has posed:
"Do you think you're fooling anyone?" Joker turns, suddenly, serious as Red Hood cartwheels over his henchmen. "That I don't know? That this Michael Meyers act is fooling anyone, boy? That's my technology! I designed that helmet! And you."

"The worst thing you'll ever be able to do to me, boy blunder, is turn one of my original designs into that sad little gimp suit. You should be embarrassed going out in public in that thing." There's a moment, building, building, as though the wrong cough could cause violence to explode over the room.

Dex opens his mouth. Joker barks a laugh; a shocked, surprised laugh at his innocent question. "Oh. Oh you're new! Ahahaha, well, why don't I explain it to." Joker looks over at Austin. "What have they run out of costume ideas? We're just on guy in t-shirt, huh? Alright, so, I wasn't going to kill this old man. But I did set a bomb under his little museum earlier; it is AMAZING what Amazon will deliver without too many questions."

That part is PROBABLY a lie, but Jason knows all too well that Joker always has an escape plan, even for seemingly random crimes like this. "So once he thinks, 'oh I survived the Joker, life has new meaning', boom! His whole house blows up! It's not quite ironic but that's what the kids on twitter'll call it. Hah!"

Julius has dragged his brother and, with some effort, Boffo into the van. Boffo's slumped into his seat, breathing heavily because a gunshot wound is a gunshot wound. He turns the van on.

"Of course, I could be lying. All I really want is to grab my friend Bob there, and get out of here." Joker leers, taking a step forward. "So tell me, who here's a gambling man?"

Jason Todd has posed:
A sound like static comes through the helmet as The Joker taunts him. Jason, it seems, is grinding his teeth. Alfred would have a fit. He wants to take the bait so badly. He wants to give in and just beat the clown to death with the crowbar, and shoot him a lot.

His gaze flickers to the old man. An innocent. A victim. Then there's the other two. Amateurs. Liabilities. If he were by himself, or any of the Bat Family here with him, he would absolutely escalate. For as much as he can, Jason trusts them. They know how this works. They've all done this dance with the Joker for a very long time.

These guys are just noobs.

Jason growls, stoping it short from bursting from his chest in a roar. "Drop the old man and get the fuck out of here before I change my stupid fucking mind. This isn't over. It'll never be over. I'll get you. It might kill me again, but you're coming with me."

Jason is literally quivering in rage and disgust. Mostly with himself. Batman will be pissed.

Austin Reese has posed:
While he can't tell what Red Hood is thinking, Austin still has a pretty good idea. Never the less, he holds the chain in one hand, and glares at the Joker, "I'm no hero. I'm just a guy from Gotham who's sick of your shit."

In his head, Austin is yelling at himself for being so dumb and talking back to the JOKER of all people. This is a guy who kills people because he feels like it, and one who's threatening to blow them all up, himself included.

Never the less, the words do ring true. He is just a guy from Gotham who's sick of the constant threats that the people of the city have to deal with. He just never thought he'd be saying it face to face with one of those threats.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    Dex steps back as the Joker seems to register his existence. It is as terrifying as he expects, given he has only passing experience with the Harlequin of Hate. He feels like a lamb before a lion.

    Or perhaps, as Jason speaks up, a veal between a calm tiger and a raging lion. He's not stupid, and he can 'feel' the anger in the Red Hood's voice, and he takes a reflexive step away, attempting to get his trembling hand under control. However, it seems like it's going to be his call, and Dex takes another backpedaling step, reaching behind him to flick off the battery pack to his Proto-Shot. The humming falls in tone until it goes completely silent, and he 'sheathes' the bow into the battery pack, balling his hands into fists to keep himself calm. He glances back at the Joker, glancing around at the area inside the museum as though he was going to be able to put the lie or truth to his words and spot the bomb.

    He's nowhere near able to do that. Instead, he shakes his head. "It's... it's not worth it to me to push my luck here..." He looks pale still, though color is starting to return to his cheeks. He wants to help further, but he can't think of a way.

    Austin speaks up as a citizen of Gotham, and Red Hood clearly has history with the Clown, but Dex? He's a stranger in a strange land. "I need to get back to New York..." he mutters.

The Joker has posed:
"You think I'm the problem, kid?" Joker looks at Austin now, bleached skin and yellow-red eyes seeming almost human in a certain life. "If I was never me, Red Hood here would just have question marks or peguins on his outfit. This place would be just as miserable, just as hungry, just as infested."

"Though perhaps a bit less classy, if I do say so myself." Joker lets the old man down, gently. He's alive, and not poisoned, but Jason and anyone with any first aid training can tell the stress has done a number on his heart. He'll need medical attention. The Joker has, for once, kept his word about harming the old man.

Lifting Bob up with surprising strength, Joker moves towards the waiting car. If the heroes check, they'll find Joker sort of bluffed: there is equipment that Jason can recognize Joker's touch in, but it's just surveillance tech. Joker's been watching this place for at least a week. Why?

As for the Clown Prince himself, he tips his hat at Dex. "Don't give up, kid! That arrow scared the crap out of me, ha ha! Maybe I'll see you again. And 'Red Hood."

Joker's face twists, again, into that yellow eyed leer; his lips twist into a rictus grin, as he's briefly too manic to control the old injury and even form a proper frown. His teeth grind and his hair seems to stand on end. "Tell him. Tell him I'm going to BLIND him. It'll be a laugh. Ha ha."

The clown drives, then, before the shooting starts.

Jason Todd has posed:
Jason lets the Joker go. Unchallenged. Unmolested. He doesn't even shoot the escaping van. Old training takes over and he darts to the old man, checking his vitals as he can, before he taps on his helmet to call medical assistance. They've probably heard from him before.

That done, he does go and check the building for the so-called bomb, which isn't even there. He grunts. He's going to have to reach out to someone, Tim probably, to get a good read on what the hell the clown is after.

He returns, looking to Austin and Dex, his body language calmer, but still fairly upset. "Brave of you both. Stupid as hell, but brave." He looks back at Arthur on the floor. "Ambulance is on the way. You should probably stay and give the report to the cops. Not my jam. Though, next time you want to get involved in something like this, maybe try some body armor."

Without another word, Jason stalks from the house, retreives his bike and rights it. He slots the crowbar back in the compartment and takes off just as the approaching sirens can be heard.

Austin Reese has posed:
Joker giving Austin a commentary about how it's not him makes Austin actually consider, he may be right. But there has to be something that can be done to help fix the city. Something that's perhaps a bit more direct than he's been doing.

When Red Hood lets them know to hang around and wait for the cops, he nods, "Won't be my first time dealing with GCPD." He mentions, though he moves to sit next to the old man and make sure he's okay. Or at least as okay as he can be after dealing with the Joker like that.

Once the cops do show up, he'll give them a statement, and of course end up getting a few stitches from the medics. Getting some body armor might not be the worst idea ever.

At least something more durable than hockey pads anyway.

Dex Alruin has posed:
    The Joker... complimented him? That's... he's not sure what that is. Dex staggers back as though struck, the veiled threat clear in his words. Might see him again, huh? That seems to freeze his blood, but before he can do anything else, the Joker is gone, driving off to parts unknown (at least to him). He stays rooted to the spot, eyes seeming blank as his face pales again. He looks a bit green in the gills, so to speak, his stomach audibly rumbling as the world around him spins.

    He wasn't dead. Somehow, he wasn't dead. Though he had also been less than helpful over all. He blinks a few times, and suddenly he looks normal again, color returning to his features and his stomach stopping its rumbling. His heart begins to fall to normal pumping levels, and he stretches his arms. As Jason takes care of calling an ambulance for the purveyor of the McMullen, he takes a few deep breaths and nods. "Let me go get my gear. I can stick around and make sure he gets picked up," he says, before dashing down the street, grabbing his bag from under the hedge, and returning to the scene. He offers a small nod, though doesn't respond to Jason's critique. Instead, he files it away silently. It was an obvious thing, of course, but he wouldn't waste his breath trying to justify himself to a professional. He'd likely heard it all before.

    As the sirens close in, Dex makes his way to Arthur's side, keeping the old man company with Austin as the emergency response rolls in. Once his statement is given, he asks one of the police officers for a ride. After all, he needs to get back to the trains if he's going to catch one back to New York tonight.