Chapter 3
A young man stepped out of the driver's seat of a black limo in the middle of the narrows of Gotham City. He had short black hair and was wearing black jeans and a dark blue white beater singlet showing off his muscles. He looked up at the rundown, broken and abandoned building that they had pulled up in front of. He grabbed a gun from the dashboard and stuck it down the back of his jeans before opening the passenger door.
"The meeting is all set up boss" The man said and The Joker stepped out of the car wearing a dark purple suit that contrasted greatly against his white skin.
"Thanks, Hunter. You didn't disappoint with the limo but uh, next time make it purple" The Joker said chuckling. Hunter's face remained emotionless and simply nodded as he closed the door behind The Joker.
"No problem, boss" Hunter replied making The Joker frown at him and mutter something about needing to lighten up.
"Let's get this show started" The Joker said grinning once more as Hunter followed The Joker into a rundown club. The Joker walked into the open downstairs area and looked around, imagining the nightclub in all its glory after he renovates it. He laughed hysterically as he spun around with his arms wide while Hunter watched emotionlessly. He was clearly used to seeing his boss act like this.
"Mr. Joker, it is a pleasure to meet you" Sean Riley said as he walked through the back entrance and towards The Joker. The Joker stopped twirling and turned to the leader of the Riley Crime Family. Sean was an elder male who hair was greying but still he had a tough and no-nonsense presence about him that most people feared. The Joker however, was not most people. The white skinned criminal grinned at the Irish Mob Boss, walking forward and shaking hands with him.
"Ah, the pleasure is all mine. After all, you are selling me this beautiful building at an extremely cheap price" The Joker said using his hands to exaggerate his words. Sean watched The Joker's every movement closely since his unpredictable behaviour was already well known in Gotham City. The Joker noticed this which caused him to chuckle darkly.
"Relax Sean. I'm not going to kill you… today. No, no, no, no. Not today" The Joker said confidently but unsurprisingly it didn't make Sean relax at all. It in-fact had the opposite effect and Sean stood up even straighter, if that was even possible.
"Why do you want this place anyway? It's a piece of crap" Sean commented looking around at the run-down building with disgust. The Joker's grin faltered for moment before he silently walked closer to Sean without him realizing until it was too late. The Joker had his hand over the mouth of the Irish Mob Boss, his grip was bound to leave bruises because it was so tight.
"You just lack the imagination in that tiny, little brain of yours." The Joker growled darkly before looking at his hand and grinning. He stepped back and started laughing, making Sean look at him like he was crazy while holding his bruised jaw.
"What the hell is so funny?" Sean growled, his Irish accent even thicker because he was angry. The Joker stopped laughing and stared at Sean grinning.
"You just gave me an idea for my next tattoo" The Joker said simply, tapping Sean on the nose like a little child and not one of the most fear names in Gotham. Sean stepped back angrily but he was smart enough not to mess with The Joker before he quickly forgot his anger and looked at The Joker's new tattoos on his face.
"You get them from The Tattooist?" Sean asked curiously causing The Joker to look at him with a sly grin.
"I got them from a tattooist" The Joker said sarcastically turning his back on Sean and looked at Hunter with a smirk. Hunter stood close to the door with his arms folded over his chest and stern look on his face. The Joker rolled his eyes at Hunter's stern face and spun back around to face Sean, who was mirroring Hunter's unamused face.
"You're about as boring as Hunter over there. Yes, I got them from the tattooist that gave some of your men their tattoos" The Joker said as Lilith's face popped into his head. He shook the image away with a click of his tongue and saw Sean staring at him seriously.
"It's not just my men. It's Falcone's men. It's Maroni's men. It's Sabatini's men. Everyone connected to Gotham's Underworld goes to The Tattooist" Sean explained which surprised The Joker greatly.
"Why?" The Joker asked curiously, his head cocking to the side slightly.
"Because she is the best. Mr. Joker, you do whatever you want in Gotham and that makes a lot of people uneasy and others excited… but you can't mess with The Tattooist. You can't start any fights in her shop… with any of her customers." Sean warned seriously making The Joker looked at Sean confused before leaning forward slightly.
"Yes, she told me the same thing but I am yet to find out why?" The Joker asked mockingly but inside he was very curious about the woman they called 'The Tattooist'. He waited impatiently for Sean to reply but he never did. The Joker sighed over-dramatically and rolled his eyes before turning around in thought.
"Does 'The Tattooist' ever give… medical attention to people?" The Joker asked, his back still turned to Sean. He lightly ran a hand over his own stitches remembering Lilith's cold hands on his white skin. He was brought out of his memory by Sean laughing loudly. The Joker spun around to find Sean had doubled over and was holding his stomach in laughter. The Joker's eyes widened in surprise and looked over at Hunter, who was still standing there with a stern impression.
"And they call me crazy" The Joker said amused, making Sean sober up and look at The Joker.
"Mr. Joker, I can guarantee you one thing; The Tattooist would rather watch one of us bleed to death than lift a finger to help us. My men have your payment so the building is yours. Enjoy your pile of crap" Sean said simply before turning and walking out of the building leaving a very shocked and confused Joker standing in his newest purchase.