Chapter 2
The storm finally started to let up in the early morning, the rain drizzling to a mere sprinkle. Shadows drifted across the city as the sun started to rise, gleaming off all wet surfaces.
The warehouse door slid up as Joker strode outside, beaming widely, looking around the area. He leaned back, stretching his limbs, then looked back at the girls as they appeared by him. They looked very unsure, casting him nervous looks. Yvonne looked like the more cautious of the two, Chels being the most quiet.
A grin split his lips as he looked at them. "C'mon, this is gonna be fun! Why the long faces?"
Vonny sighed, rubbing at her arm, glancing away. "I dunno... It's just kinda odd to be hanging out with a crazy criminal."
"There's nothing wrong with pulling a few pranks!" he cried, throwing his arms out. "People do it all the time. Why, how do you think this city does without April Fool's Day?"
They stared at him, then glanced at each other, shrugging. Sighing in unison, they turned to look at him again.
"You sure people won't get hurt?" Chels eyed him warily.
"Yeah. You said so yourself you're crazy," Vonny narrowed her eyes at him. "How do we know you're not gonna double-cross us?"
Joker snorted, waving a hand at them.
"Oh, please. If I was gonna double-cross you girls, I would've done it while you were sleeping."
That gave them pause and he quickly latched onto the idea they were thinking.
"No! Don't even think this clown would do that to you!" His mind reeled at the very thought, a bit sickened himself at the idea. He may be a chaotic prankster, but by no means could he ever force himself to do that...
Both girls gave him critical looks, searching for some sign of a lie. If the Joker was a liar, he hid it very well.
"Okay, fine." Vonny eyed him, then glanced at Chels; she shrugged in response, watching the clown.
Joker clapped his hands together once, grinning and giggling. "Splendid! Let's hit the park first. There's usually a few early birds there to tease."
He turned, slid the warehouse door shut, then took off down the street, leaving the girls to hurry after him.
They sped down the street, splashing through puddles, Joker giggling to himself all the while. It was a matter of minutes before they reach Gotham Central Park, the harlequin creeping along the hedge fence, making his way towards the open gates.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" Vonny demanded, coming up along his left elbow.
He paused, glancing at her, then grinned. "Of course. Although I have most of my fun at night. Dawn and dusk are special times."
With that, he slipped into the park, the girls following. They sprinted along the hedges, racing into a small clearing hidden behind a row of trees.
Chels peeked over a bush, a large white hand quickly shoving her back down. Joker hissed at her, shaking his head, then reached into his coat pocket.
Both girls blinked as he pulled out a whoopee cushion, shoving it into Vonny's hands.
"...this is it?" Yvonne asked, confused. "Where's the A material?"
The harlequin glared at her, frowning. "You're beginners. I'm an expert. You start slow."
Vonny glanced at Chels, skeptical; her friend was staring at Joker with a mix of annoyance and boredom.
Joker rolled his eyes, pointing a finger over the bush. The girls peeked over, watching as a young jogging couple came to rest at a bench.
"You missed your first cue. Let's see if you can pull off a classic before it gets too bright out."
Both girls sighed, looking at each other, then at the couple. Joker busied himself while they waited for the couple to move on by chewing on a blue nail, much to the growing irritation of the girls.
Within fifteen minutes, the couple stood, kissed, then took off on their jogging route. Joker perked up as they left, grabbing both girls' heads and twisting them to look at an approaching man in a business suit.
"Vonny, you go. Now." He gave her a rough shove, nearly throwing her to the ground as the man turned, preparing to sit down on the bench.
She grunted at the shove, glaring at him, but quickly moved off around a tree, slinking in close behind the bench. As she got closer, she found herself starting to grin. Maybe she really could pull this off...
Yvonne slid the whoopee cushion onto the bench as the man sat down, laughing as he shot up at the sudden noise. Joker and Chels roared with laughter, standing and making themselves known, ignoring the man as he ran off screaming.
"Classic!" Joker wiped a tear from his eye, looking at them. "I'll make funnies out of you girls yet." He moved over to Vonny, giving her a smacking high-five, turning and giving Chels the same. Both girls grinned at him, positively beaming.
"That was great!" Chels giggled, looking at her friend.
Vonny couldn't help herself; she bowed to them, giving Joker the lowest. "Thank you, thank you." When she straightened, she was surprised to see an even larger grin on the clown's face.
"Theatrics. I like it," he said, thumping a hand on each girl's back, pulling them in close. They giggled at each other; their heads barely reached the height of his chin.
"So...what now?" Chels asked him, looking up into the blazing red eyes.
Joker paused, then grinned again, looking at them. "Well. Let's see now." He turned, surveying the park thoughtfully, his gaze finally settling on the lake. "Hmm. I do have some balloons along..."
"Water balloon fight?" Vonny asked hopefully, watching him. Chels grinned beside her.
He glanced at them, quiet, then smirked. "Sure, something like it. Although we won't be the targets."
Glancing around their surroundings, Joker stood quiet for a moment, then took off for the park. Both girls quickly followed him, giggling, having fun. He stopped at the water's edge, pulling out a packet of balloons, dumping them on the ground and started filling them up with water.
"What were you looking for?" Chels asked, crouching by his side.
The clown stared at the water filling the balloons for a moment, then looked at them. "Ever hear of Batsy?"
"Who?" both asked.
Joker stood with a sigh of exasperation, looking at them. "You two really are new to the city, aren't you?"
They blinked at him before Yvonne answered. "Uh...we mostly stick to ourselves."
He stared at them, then smacked a palm to his face. "Okay... It's simple as this. The guy dresses like a bat. Plain and simple. You see him, you run. I'll take care of him."
Vonny gave him a quizzical look and Chels scoffed.
"What kind of idiot dresses like a bat?"
A broad grin split Joker's lips as he lifted his head, watching them. "Not quite an idiot. He's quite fun to toy with. Not to be underestimated either."
"Sounds like you respect the guy," Vonny smirked.
Joker gave them a wave of his hand, returning to the balloons. "Eh, here and there. Here, take these." He thrust an armful of water balloons into their arms and they divided them out. He finished up a minute later, bouncing a balloon up and down in his hand, smirking. "Let's get pitching."
The next ten minutes was spent chasing the early park crowd, cornering and lobbing water balloons, soaking anything they managed to hit. By the end of it, both girls were laughing, enjoying themselves immensely.
"This is so much fun," Vonny yelled, chucking a balloon at an older man's shoulders as he ran. "I love it."
Chels finished up with her stock, looking at her, grinning. "I could do it forever."
"Forever, huh?" Joker came up behind them, wrapping an arm around their shoulders. He was smiling broadly.
The girls giggled, nodding, watching him, clinging to his arm.
"No rules," Chels said.
"We'd never have to grow up," Vonny chimed in, smirking.
Joker tilted his head, studying them with one red eye. He blinked a moment later, smiling. "Let's go feed the squirrels."
He turned, heading off down the park path, glancing around as they went. Looking back to see if the girls were behind him, he was surprised to see them by his arms again.
They made their way over to a park bench in another clearing, scattering the birds as they sat down. The clown grinned madly as he pulled out a bag of peanuts, glancing at the girls.
They watched him closely, waiting to see if he wanted them to do something. He shrugged in response. "Just feed them." He shoved the bag in Chels' hands, sitting back and folding his arms behind his head.
She looked at the bag of peanuts, then threw a few on the ground, watching as the resident squirrels scurried down from the trees, racing over to them. A gray one snuck closer, looking at them before picking up a nut, nibbling on it. Before too long, they had a large crowd of furry rodents eating at their feet.
Vonny giggled, watching them. "They're so cute."
Joker smirked in reply, watching Chels idly as she fed another squirrel.
Three...two...one...
Chels gasped in horror, eyes widening, as the squirrels froze up, their cute little faces suddenly twisting into horrible mimics of a grin. Their eyes bulged as they collapsed to the ground, their bodies stiff.
"Oh my God, what was I feeding them?" she screamed, eyes watering.
Joker pulled her close, frowning, giving her a squeeze. "It's okay, they're fine. The dose is only temporary."
Vonny stared at him in shock, not sure what to make of them. "...dose?"
The clown looked at both girls, beaming, shrugging a shoulder. "My specialty is chemistry. Just a hybrid strain of laughing gas, fitted to my needs."
They stared at him, then looked at each other. Chels rubbed away the few tears, dropping the bag of nuts, then looked at him, suddenly wary.
"So you DO hurt people."
"I wouldn't call it that," Joker replied, looking at them casually. "More or less...extreme pranks."
Vonny gave him a look, clearly not buying it. "Uh huh."
Sighing, the harlequin looked at them, pain written all over his face. "And here I thought you girls liked me." He stood, walking away from, leaving them sitting on the bench.
Both girls looked at each other, then the departing clown, lost. They stood quickly, racing after him, coming up alongside him.
"But we did have fun," Chels said, looking at him.
"Yeah, we didn't say we didn't have fun," Yvonne agreed, watching.
Joker stopped near the gates, looking at them, then smiled. "Did you mean it when you said you wanted to do this forever?"
Silence reigned for several long seconds, the girls staring at him. He watched them patiently, quietly counting off seconds in his head.
"Well..." Chels started after a few moments, "I dunno. I mean...hanging out with you for a day, sure, that was fun."
Yvonne nodded, looking at them. "But we need to get back home. Our, uh, dog is waiting for us."
The clown frowned at them, tilting his head to one side. "C'mon, be good sports. Join Team Joker. I promise there'll be lots of soda and candy in it for ya."
More silence.
Joker sighed, hanging his head, turning and stalking off. "Okay, fine. I just wanted someone to hang out with."
Chels bit her lip, watching, then looked at Vonny, lowering her voice. "What if he comes after us now? We might've made him mad."
Yvonne watched him go, then looked at her. "I dunno...isn't it kinda of risky? Hanging out with a crazy person from Arkham Asylum?"
Her friend glanced away, thinking, then looked at her. "What's the worst that can happen? We see something we don't like, we just leave. Shriek can take care of him if he tries anything."
"Ohh...fine," Vonny finally agreed, sighing. "I guess we're safe as long as Shriek's there for us."
"Joker! Hey, Joker!" Chels bolted after the clown, Vonny right behind her. They raced across the road, speeding into an alley before stopping, looking around for him.
"Where'd he go?"
The alley was empty, a few papers blowing in the breeze across the ground.
"He couldn't have just disappeared..."
"Right you are, girls." Joker dropped down behind them from a fire escape ladder, looking at them, grinning. "You got nerves calling my name out in broad daylight too."
Vonny bit her lip, looking at him. "Oops...sorry."
He waved her apology away, smirking, passing them and heading down the alley. "So...you really want to join Team Joker?"
Both girls raced after him, nodding. "Yeah. It could be fun."
Inside, Joker was nearly on the brink of a hysterical fit, one that would last for hours. On the outside, Joker just smiled at them. "Well then. We're gonna have to make you look like clowns, won't we?"
"Uh..." Chels uttered, paling a little. "I'm not big on clowns. But you're not like the ones at the circus, so I guess I'm okay with it."
Vonny laughed, pushing her. "Yet we're hanging out with one."
Joker glanced back at them, grinning, pulling them across several streets before they came across another warehouse.
"Where are we?" the girls asked, looking up at it.
He shrugged, pulling out a key and unlocking the door. "I've got a few around the city. Helps to keep moving time to time." He shouldered the door open, standing back to let the girls in.
They stepped inside, looking around blindly until Joker switched on the lights, eyes widening at what they saw.
Stacks of crates took up the space of one wall, the rest of the warehouse littered with circus props and stands. Everything but the crates looked fairly new, only a few items being cracked and broken.
"Whoa..." Vonny looked around, amazed. "This is cooler than your last place."
Joker smirked, moving past them, heading over to a chair that had seen better days. He flopped down into it, throwing one leg over the arm rest.
"Go on, make yourselves comfy. There's a couch over there if you just move the boxes out of the way. We'll wait until nightfall to give you your makeovers."
Chels started for the boxes when a loud noise came from behind a few of the crates, making her freeze. Vonny came up behind her, looking towards the noise, nervous.
"Uh, Joker? What's that noise?"
The harlequin looked at them, shrugging again, then smirked. "Just my boys. They LOVE fresh meat..."
They looked at him, confused, then at the crates again as two shadows started moving towards them. Both girls froze, watching the shadows, cautiously backing up. The shadows kept getting closer until two white shapes moved into view.
"Oh my God..." Chels gasped, eyes widening as the two albino hyenas trotted towards them. "They are so cute!"
The hyenas moved in on the girls, ears back, cautious, giggling and yelping, watching them closely.
Joker sat up, looking at the hyenas, then at the girls. He narrowed his eyes, waiting to see what they'd do.
Vonny blinked in surprise, then looked at Joker. "Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it does."
He grinned at her, watching them. "Maybe. They missed breakfast."
The girls stared at him in disbelief, looked at each other, then at the hyenas. "Um...good boys."
Growling, the hyenas moved closer, letting out cackling barks, their tails twitching. They watched the girls, suddenly sprinting for them, jaws open.
Both girls screamed in fright as the hyenas charged at them, knocked to the ground as they were tackled, Joker's laughter cackling throughout the warehouse.