Chapter Four
Catwoman forgot the next day would be Saturday. She laundered the outfit that morning, eying the calendar with contempt. She would have Batman's clothes until Monday if she couldn't track him down somewhere in the city, but she had no idea where he spent his free time. She knew Alfred made him get out and do things from an interview the two had the previous year, but she felt the getting out and doing things part was probably the sports.
Catwoman put the items in her bag and grabbed her favorite notebook before heading out into Gotham. She went to the library first, turning in a book she'd checked out the week before. She hadn't touched it aside from its journey from and to the library, and she felt bad for that, but she just didn't have time to read right now. She wasn't in the mood anyway.
As she walked the streets, hoping to find somewhere she could curl up and doodle, she heard a familiar laughter. As she moved closer, she heard someone punching a metal trash can with the force of a semi-truck, the metal crunching after the thunderous BOOM! from the initial contact. Catwoman was nervous and decided to turn onto a different street. Unfortunately, she walked right up to the source: Joker and Bane.
"Nice of you to join us, goody-two-shoes," Joker laughed. Bane tossed the trashcan he was working on into an alleyway before grabbing another one. "We're just working out our frustrations. Doesn't Gotham High make you feel just…angry?" Joker growled as Bane began his routine, his punches seemingly harder this time.
"No, not really. I was on my way to…visit my grandmother. Do you mind?" Catwoman asked meekly. Joker scoffed, "Oh, we do mind. You turned my trick on me yesterday, Cat, and I didn't appreciate it. Bane here didn't either. He was given a week of in-school suspension, and Gotham High isn't like middle school. No, you're in a dungeon, doing real work! Bane can't handle conditions like that, not with that temper of his," Joker noted, watching as he tossed the can and grabbed another.
"I'm sorry," Catwoman offered, trying to slink past them. When Joker wouldn't let her past, she tried darting to the opposite side of the street. A passing car kept Joker on his side of the street, giving Catwoman a good start as she began to run. But Joker was faster, and he easily caught up with her. Catwoman jumped, landing on top of an apartment building's second floor fire escape.
"Oh, so now you want to hide from me? Look, Cat, I don't want to hurt you. I think we can work together! I know what Batman did for you, that fiend!" Joker hissed. "I hate jocks like him, I hate them! I want to go after him, not you, but I don't know what makes him tick. I just know he's good at sports and likes the arts too, an all-around bad guy, if you ask me."
"What do you want me to do? I don't know him either," Catwoman said, jumping down and landing with ease in front of Joker. Joker laughed, "You have his clothes, Cat, so you can get in close with him and get information on him. What does he hate? What does he fear?"
Catwoman shifted on her heels, "You've been talking to the older guy still, Scarecrow?" she asked. Joker shrugged before nodding gently, "I have spoken with him, but it wasn't about you. I want to know what he fears, yes, but Scarecrow, he's um…," Joker laughed nervously. The laughter continued so much that he couldn't speak, so Catwoman continued the conversation for him:
"I don't see what you feel so threatened about, Joker. I want you to leave me alone, but I don't want to help you go after people. So what if he's better at you in sports or the arts? You've never tried out for any teams."
"Yeah, well, Bane wants to do football this year, and what if I wanted to do theatre, huh? What if I want to but Batman gets in my way?" Joker asked darkly.
"Be better than him and you shouldn't have a problem. It takes practice, I guess. I don't do things like that. It's not my thing," Catwoman said, eying the end of the street. She was sick of Joker and ready to get out of there.
"Well, maybe it should be. In fact, they're looking for a male and female lead for their upcoming PTA open house thing. They need to have a good dynamic, and if we could pull that off—"
"I'm not going to be in some stupid play for you, Joker. I want to be left alone," Catwoman said firmly.
"Fine, fine," Joker said before snickering under his breath, "I guess I'll just have to keep playing tricks on you until you see things my way."
"I guess so," Catwoman hissed, dodging Joker and running back to the main road. She ran all the way back to her apartment, taking the fire escape up so she could flex her muscles. She was sick of Joker's antics from their years of middle school together, and now that they were older, she was even more sick of it.
Despite her desire to get Batman's clothes back to him, Catwoman decided this wasn't the weekend to leave home. She curled up with her notebook in front of a very worn television set. The picture flickered; it was barely visible at all. But Catwoman appeared slightly content as she doodled away.
Gardenia was at the local theatre checking out the night's play when she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned to see Riddler dressed in a red uniform discussing the night's performance with a patron. When he was finished, he looked up to return to his post, but his eyes noticed Gardenia instead.
"The nurse wasn't pleased with your antics," Riddler said darkly, eying her carefully, "But here, you're not my problem. Are you here to see a show, perhaps…audition for one?" he asked darkly. Gardenia gestured to the poster on the wall. "Ah, you're here to watch the art of theatre. Well, you won't learn any new skills here. You either have it or you don't, child. Remember that."
"For one, I haven't been a child for years. Secondly, how do you know I won't learn anything here? What exactly do you know about theatre?" Gardenia asked coldly. Riddler grinned, "More than I care for you to know."
"Well, I want to see the show tonight whether you want me here or not. Is there someone I can get tickets from?" Gardenia asked. Riddler sighed heavily, gesturing her towards the window. Riddler stepped inside the booth and asked where she'd like to sit. "I love the balcony. How close can I get up there?"
"Front row. It's a slow night, so you get your pick," he smiled. "I'll let you pick your number if you'll riddle me this: Who do you know at Gotham High that can make or break your precious acting career?"
"No one in this room, Riddler," Gardenia said with a soft grin, "but that isn't for me to decide right now. I don't care where you put me. I just want to see the show, and I want for you to either stop bothering Angie and me about acting or actually help us for once. Remember, it's not that hard for me to…spin you a tail," Gardenia winked, pulling silk from her fingers and drawing a design on the counter.
"Fine, I'll put you dead-center," Riddler said with a low growl in his voice. "I'll leave you and Angie alone, but you should know one thing about Gotham High's theatre department: It's a dog-eat-dog world."
"They all are. You just have to learn how to play the game," Gardenia smirked, grabbing her ticket and eying the show time. "See you at six."
Gardenia left the building and walked a few blocks to Angie's apartment. They practiced their monologues and critiqued each other's work before getting ready for the play. Gardenia never mentioned Riddler or their deal, namely because she didn't expect it to ever come true.
