Dear Jonathan Crane,

We hope this letter finds you well.

Jonathan Crane sat in the swivel chair he had taken a particular liking to in the past few months. Sure, it may have been dusty and overused, the arms dirty from years of wear and poor upkeep, but he wasn't too picky when it came to uncommon luxuries such as this. He enjoyed turning himself ever so slightly with a gentle push of his foot whenever he needed to review his notes, chewing on the end of his pen as a force of habit. It was comfortable, and to the former doctor it had definitely a welcome to see it still untouched upon his recent breaking out of Arkham Asylum.

However, on this day, he was still, sitting straight up despite the backing of the chair there to support his rather light weight. Eyes narrowed behind thinly framed reading glasses, he read over the letter once over again in his gloved hands once again, having pondered its words for several hours now. He grimaced at the final words, the costume he wore feeling suddenly constricting, despite him designing it specifically with the ability to move freely. His infamous mask lay on his desk atop his notebook; wearing it had become too much when out of the public eye, and right now he just needed the time to breathe.

He needed to be alone.

He needed some time.

A knock on the door sounded, and from the way it thunderously beat, he knew it could only be his guard. He gave so curt sigh, deciding he had been given enough time to think this over, and promptly stuffed the folded up paper in a spot of his notebook. He took only a second to close his eyes and rub his temples, remembering to breathe. He then removed his reading glasses and put on his burlap mask and brimmed hat. "Come in," he ordered firmly, closing the notebook and folding his fingers in his lap.

The door was slowly opened, and in poked the burly man that was Rocky, the thug he had assigned to keep watch over the entrance. "Yes, Rockwell?" he hummed, watching him carefully from the eyes of his mask. "The Mad Hatter's here," Rocky informed him, looking back at what was undoubtedly the familiar Englishman behind him. "He keeps asking for a 'Hare'. I assume he's talking about you."

"Oh, Tetch," Jonathan realized, recognizing the description and coming to a stand. "Let him in. He's of no current threat to me." Rocky gave a quick nod and the usual "sure thing mister Scarecrow sir", before turning back to whomever he had been speaking to. He opened the door fully and let him into the room, standing back to make plenty of room. As expected, Jervis Tetch was the one who was gestured in, the tops of his eyes raised in curiosity as he looked back at the thug. "A few manners that one has," he chirped, turning his attention towards his peer. "I'll never understand how you're able to get them to behave in such a way."

"Fear," Scarecrow said simply, his voice taking the usual darker tone when talking about his preferred subject. "It's all about fear, Hatter, for those who control fear maintain control itself." He gestured to the room off to the side, where his chemistry table was laid out so they could talk elsewhere. He continued to talk as he entered with the Englishman. "Much unlike those zombies you prefer to keep around. Fear is what grants the results I desire." Jervis gave a small "hmph", quickly going over to the edge of the table to watch the doctor work on his toxins. "Well then, Hare, I believe a demonstration should be in order. Maybe not this unbirthday, maybe not the next, but anytime you may I would like to see it in action. These brutes never learn to listen to the poor Hatter, oh no. They joke and they jest and they jeer, but they never listen." He looked up at Jonathan with a furrowed brow. "Though it pushes me to ponder why you have only one. And it's the same one from my last visit, too! Quite the surprise that is; others replace placed pawns, but your place keeps pawns in place so they won't be replaced."

Crane merely hummed in slight amusement as he observed the chemicals bubble. "Hatter, we only just got out of Arkham. I'd prefer a low profile for now, so just one will suffice. Rocky's proven to be fairly loyal help so far, able to keep my research well protected until I got back, so I suppose he's worth keeping around for now. It's difficult to find proper henchmen who aren't a couple apples away from a full bushel, especially when they all keep dying." He lowered the temperature and mixed a few of the readied chemicals until the concoction turned a sickly orange. He looked back down at Hatter, waving a hand to ask for answers. "So, I can assume what brought you here was…?"

"Oh the little plot we formulated together, of course," Hatter finished for him. "We spent such a tremendous amount of time pondering that dear thing that it's all I could think about, really. As soon as I was settled, I came here first thing."

Crane paused in his work, letting out a small sigh as he removed his hat. "Hatter, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel on our plans." The Hatter's displeasure was immediately shown. The Scarecrow recognized a possible violent reaction. "I know, I know, it's a bit too late to tell you, but trust me, it's not on any poor planning on my part. Due to a small setback, I need to be out of town for a short while, maybe a week or two, so you may just have to hold off until then." Of course, knowing his peer, Hatter was more than capable of doing just that. Jervis certainly seemed curious, though, as Jonathan had expected, and knew there would be inquiries abound.

"Out of town? Now what in all of Wonderland could drag the March Hare from the tea party?" the smaller man questioned, his brow furrowed as the other loaded the chemical into a few of his weapons. "And all with preparation involved, I see?" The doctor saw no benefit in hiding most of the truth. "I'm unsatisfied with a few aspects of my toxins," the doctor replied. "As hard as I've worked on it, I believe Batman may be attempting to work out a cure for it. So, I'm traveling back to my home state to snag a few research notes for the formula my toxin is based off of. The creator is long since dead, so I doubt any notes will be missed. That is all there is to it, really. As subservient it may seem in comparison to our little scheme, I'd rather not have the Bat take us down so easily should he find the proper antidote."

Jervis took his words into consideration, playing with the rim of his oversized hat some as he pursed his lips. Overall, though, he seemed to understand where he was coming from quite well. Both needed the tools of their trade to work fairly well if they were going to survive longer than an hour in an encounter with the Bat. After all, why even make an attempt if you're not giving it your all? "Well that's a bit of a mimsy pot you have yourself trapped in," Hatter frowned softly. "As crestfallen I may be by this sudden turn of our plans, I completely understand." Crane gave a slight nod, glad that the other had not made such a big deal out of it. "Good. I knew you would understand."

"And so I will come with you."

The doctor blinked, pausing for a moment in his tracks and looking over at the rather proud Jervis. "I'm sorry, what was that?" he rasped slowly, taking his attention away from his chemicals. The Hatter let out a soft chortle, grinning in slight amusement. "I said I will be coming with you."

"This… is more of a solo venture," the other explained, still taken aback by the offer, although there certainly was a cap to his surprise. Hatter never was one to stray into absurd ideas. "Oh poppycock," Jervis dismissed. "That's a long drive, don't you know? And with our plan set back, I believe it would give us more time to smoothen out the details." He closed his eyes, smiling to himself. "Besides, we do need to lay low, don't we? The best choice, of course, would to be to get out of town for a few days. After all, you don't want to come back with me in Arkham once again, would you?"

He did have a point there. As much as Jonathan preferred to do this alone, Jervis wasn't the worst of company a man could have, and they certainly did need to finish up the details of their plot against the Dark Knight. Jervis also wasn't terrible company; he'd much rather be stuck with another intellectual, even if he was an erratic one. He knew Tetch's quirks inside and out, and fortunately his meticulous observations of him and other criminals had worked in his favor. If need be, he could always kick the man to the side of the road; while Scarecrow wasn't the most skilled in combat, Hatter was practically defenseless without his devices, so if anything the milliner was putting himself in more danger than Jonathan was by letting him come. However, there were a few quirks that needed to be worked out.

"I plan to leave in only a few short hours. What about your things?" he questioned, which Jervis retuned with a gesture to the door. "I can retrieve what I may need quite quickly, though it's not as though I have much of that. I keep most necessities on me."

"Necessities being?"

"My book, my hat, a few cards, and tea." Jervis opened his coat, digging through a pocket before pulling out and dangling a pocket watch from a thin chain. "And this, of course. Couldn't leave the party without it, lest I be late."

"Of course," Jonathan sighed to himself, taking only subtle irritation from the other's response. "And you're willing to spend an entire car ride with me?" Tetch gave a visible roll of his eyes, an uncharacteristic move for him. "Of course, of course, why wouldn't I?"

This would either turn out to be a mistake or of help to him. Tetch' technology could be used to slip out of particularly tight spots if need be. Should the former be the case, however, he reminded himself there would be no harm in leaving him there. Well, no harm to himself. Jervis would be understandably upset, but Crane knew he would eventually be forgiven despite his misdeeds. That was just how Jervis was.

"Fine, you may come, then," he complied, watching the other's expression light up quickly. He had always found it curious to see the Hatter's moods flick to upbeat and happy in such a quick manner, though given his excitable nature, he wasn't ever surprised. What did he ever have to be so happy about all the time? It was a welcomed sight, nonetheless, even if his constant and quick changes in mood were a hazard. Jonathan had to always remind himself that Jervis was still a very dangerous man, especially when off his prescribed medication. While they had originally moved past any grudges held toward each other, Crane never let it be forgotten that he was able to describe what losing control of his own thoughts and cognitive functions was like.

"I leave in just a few hours. Most likely around dawn," he sighed, picking up his scythe from the corner. "But if you're going to be traveling with me, you have to remember that we need to keep a low profile. We cannot have our plans ruined if we're suddenly recognized." He took off his burlap mask and heaved the staff of the scythe over his shoulder to rest there. "So, for the entire trip there and back, you will only know me as 'Jonathan' and I will refer to you as 'Jervis'. Understood?"

Hatter gave a small grimace. "You don't want me calling you what you are?" he questioned, brow raised. "Unfortunately that's the way it has to be," Jonathan replied, knowing using formal names would keep Jervis stable in terms of his mental state. He seemed irritated that it meant the breaking of his own delusions, but dutifully nodded and removed his hat. "Understood, Jonathan. However, what about in case of an emergency?" Crane paused and took a moment to look at his scythe. "This is a simple car ride from here to there, so I doubt anything too dire will happen along the way. But, just in case, I'm bringing my weapons and my Scarecrow outfit. You're free to do the same, but don't expect anything exciting. So no references to Wonderland in public, no Hatter while we talk to others, and for the love of all things detrimental in life, no made up words. I refuse to be caught just because you can't realize that 'frabjous' isn't a word."

Jervis gave the other a quick glare, another uncharacteristic action for him. "We've argued about this countless times, Jonathan; frabjous is a legitimate word!" Crane just rolled his eyes and put on his mask and hat again before walking out of the room. "Just go get your things before I leave you. I expect we will converse, but I refuse to argue about this in the car." The neurologist huffed, but nodded and trotted out of the room and to the exit.

Crane looked over at Rocky, who stood guard near the doorway. "I will be leaving for a week or two. No one gets in or out, understood? If I see anything missing, I'll have you gassed. If everything's as I left it, I'll double your payment for a week." Rocky gave a curt "sure thing mister Scarecrow sir", and with that, Jonathan went to get ready, grabbing his notebook. He grabbed the loose paper tucked within the pages, reading it once over. With a small grimace, he went to pack up his chemicals.