milliways_bar | (no subject)

Jay spots the paper (presuming it's a Gotham paper) and drifts over. He nods to the newsprint. "Hey buddy, mind if I have a look when you're done with that? Been a while since I've had news from home."

The paper is indeed from Gotham, something called PM. And the headlines are about President Eden's incredibly dull inaugural address and his plans to beef up funding for the League of Heroes.

"You from Gotham too? Go ahead."

"Use to be. Been out for a while now but she never really lets go, does she?" He nods his thanks, leafing through. He works out pretty fast it's from a different timeline to him but it feels good to see buildings and stuff he recognises. "Get much on the big bad bat these days?"

"Never tried to leave for more than a few days, but I know what you mean. Love it or hate it, it's the only place like it." And he still loves it.

"Not much on the Bat today. Last sighting was six days ago, and the signal was last on for New Year's Eve. Never found out why for that one."

"I put it down to all the crap on the air around the Narrows. Once it's in your blood, you're addicted. And like any other junkie, you gotta go back to get your fix. I was screwed from birth." He hates himself for missing that place and yet he does. So much.

Jay nods, wondering what to make of that. After all, the light only goes on when Gordon's in well over his head. "So what's your theory? Everyone's got one."

Edited 2013-11-28 10:42 (UTC)

"Crap in the air? You mean all the old Smilex gas from the Joker's bicentennial party?" He's heard theories about that, of course.

"When you say my theory, you mean about who and what he is?"

Jay goes very stiff at mention of the Joker, his knuckles white even if he manges to keep his expression neutral. "Yeah, something like that. Someone needs to put that monster down. Permanently."

"Who or what the Batman is under all that armour. I'm going with circus freak personally."

"Wait. When are you from? Because where and when I come from, the Joker is dead. Has been for years." Maybe.

And if Knox looks a bit scared at the idea of a living Joker, that makes a lot of sense.

Jay lets out a long breath like someone's just kicked him in the guts. "There's a world where that asshole's been put down. You don't know how happy I am to hear that. Who got him in the end?"

He slides the paper back to Knox. "Alternative timeline. Lot of the stuff in there's out of joint with what I know so can't be the same Gotham. I get the feeling it happens here a bit. Multiverse and all."

"Hey, your world has a Gotham so I can cope with alternate timelines. Some worlds don't have it." Most actually.

"He fell off a building trying to escape from the Bat way back when the Bat first showed up. Back when the Joker tried to poison the city. It was a big deal, but he was dead." And there isn't any reason to assume he's still not dead, right?

"I can't work out if that's a good or a bad thing."

Jason breathes out slowly, clenching and relaxing his hands as h calms himself. He's got no reason not to believe it's true. Not his Gotham after all. "That's the best news I've heard all day."

"And as far as I can tell, he's stayed dead, too. Which is how it should work, but given all the heroes and villains now, the old rules might be changed." And he won't mention how he's still convinced someone stole the Joker's body in '89.