1

Mad as a hat with a hole in the top.

"Come here Jester," said master. "I have a joke to tell you."

I skipped over to him and kneeled down between his legs.

He grabbed my head and held me fast.

"How is it, little bird. That whatever I do to you. You stay pretty?"

"I don't know master?"

He made a sucking sound. "That was not a question," I shut up.

"Good girl, now where was I. Yes, how is it little bird? That whatever I do to you. You stay pretty...SAY SOMETHING!"

"I don't know" I cried.

Joker laughed: "Because I never go for the eye. HAHAHAHAH!"

"Wakey wakey," Jinx said, kicking Jester in the side.

They had returned to the tower three days ago. Handed Joker`s men over to lord Cauldor, and put Jester into a cell. Leashing her to the wall. Originally Garfield was supposed to interrogate her, but she refused to speak with him and Garfield was too gentle to use force with her.

Victor and Wally were still in the east. Wally had popped up one day and told them there was a local problem they needed to take care of. In the south Richard and Starfire were helping Manchuria rebuild. That left Jinx, the only other titan available to speak with Jester.

"Ow, what's with the boot?" complained Jester. "Coldwater is much more effective. Now it just hurts."

"Good," smiled Jinx. "I am here because we want to know what the Joker is planning and we suspect you know."

"Yeah, that's what the green guy said."

"You should be grateful for the green guy. He has been the one keeping you from me."

"Ohh, so scared I am"

Jinx sighed "I give you one chance, right now to answer my question. What is the Joker's plan?"

Jester laughed. Jinx slammed her head into the stone wall. Jester laughed more, even as blood began running down her face.

Finally, she answered: "That is your question? How the hell would I know what he is planning. I don't even think he does. We are chaos!"

"You are evil" interrupted Jinx.

"Maybe," shrugged the girl. "but at least we are what we say we are. What are you?"

"We fight you, so we are good!"

"Are you? Joker has told me all about Richard. Did you know his father imprisoned innocent men and women because they stole grain for their families? What about his late aunt. She was forced to enter a monastery because she had a relationship with a kitchen boy."

"Sins of the father should not follow the son."

Jester hummed "That might be, but did you know what he did in Jerusalem? There he is known as Slade. The lone warrior. Indiscriminately killing men, women, and children on the order of the great King Arthur. If I were you I would think carefully about who your leader is."

"Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Believe what you want, I don't care" shrugged Jester.

Jinx breathed. In out in out. There was one thing she wanted to know but feared to ask. "You said I reminded you of Raven. The witch from the Nile."

"She was no witch! A she-devil that one was. A cross between man and demon. You should have seen her at the end. It took many months before she begged for death, and even more before she died."

"She is dead?"

Jester nodded. Her bells rang with the movement.

It is what Jinx feared. After Raven saved them from the Joker, Richard had tried sneaking into Arkham, but each time he had been stopped. Hearing that the woman they were all indebted to was dead and that the cost she had paid was so high. It made Jinx mad, she stepped forth and ripped away the Jester`s hat, stopping the ringing and revealing Jester's purple hair.

"Hey, give me that back" demanded Jester. Jinx looked wide-eyed at the prisoner.

"You have purple hair?"

"Yeah, what about it. Joker likes it. It reminds him about Raven."

Jinx punched the girl in the stomach. "That is for Raven."

Jester toppled forward, before standing up with a cheeky grin.

"You cared for the demon?"

"She saved my life!"

In truth Jinx, as well as the others had been creeped out by the strange girl. Her aura had been similar to the Jokers. A crackling in the air, like you never knew what she was going to do. In the aftermath of their fight with Joker and Morgana, Jinx had been ashamed. They had treated Raven with mistrust and fear. She had saved them.

"If you really cared for her. You would have come for her. I was there when Joker dragged her off to his chambers. The first week he didn't let her sleep, eat or drink and always took her with him. You see, Morgana found out she was an empath. She could feel others' feelings, and the Jokers were like poison for her. Cutting her off from her powers. Her days were filled with torture, and her nights with rape. But she never begged, or cried. She took it all. Until Morgana returned. She had learned how to bind the powers of the demon. They dragged her to the forge, bound her to a rock, and poured molten iron on her. Ankles, hands, and neck. That's the first time I heard her scream. Then Morgana put enchantments, binding her powers within her body, and gave her over to Joker. She called the demon a prize"

"Shut up" yelled Jinx, having heard enough.

"Bad conscience?" asked Jester.

Jinx punched the laughing jester in her face. "I am going to kill you!"

She grabbed the woman's throat and squeezed, but it didn't feel right. Not like a soft throat. It felt...metallic. Like armor. A shill ran down Jinx's spine. Even as Jester laughed more. Jinx stared into the woman's remaining eye and noticed for the first time that it was lilac. Sweat began running down Jinx's face, she drew her dagger and made a cut along the rim of Jester's collar.

"Oh, this took a turn. I like it!." commented Jester, flicking her tongue out, trying to lick Jinx.

Jinx ignored her advances and ripped open the woman´s collar. Revealing a layer of iron burnt into the skin. Ornamented with hieroglyphs and a red jewel bellow the woman´s chin.

Jinx stared at the woman in front of her, stumbled back a few steps in horror, and asked in a soft voice, with tears threatening to pour forth.

"Raven?"

"What!"