Chapter 2
"So, uh, Harleen Quinzell? Am I saying that right?" The man behind the desk asked. This was Louie, an associate of the Penguin. Louie mostly just ran his nightclub, The Iceburg Lounge, for him while he was out. "Yeah, that's right," The young Harleen said with a nod. "Okay, so you know you're applying for a bartender position, right? You need to be 21," Louie explained. Harleen nodded quickly as she pulled out her wallet.
"But, look! I am 21, I've got the ID right here," She said as Louie looked at her ID. He examined it closely for a few seconds before handing it back to her. "Alright, well, you really don't look 21," He said with a chuckle. "Yeah, I get that a lot," She replied cheerfully.
"But really, I've been over your references and your work history and we'll be glad to have you work with us. Mr. Cobblepot will have to meet you before it's official but that's really just a formality," Louie said as he stood up to shake Harleen's hand. "Thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed happily. "We'll give you a call within a couple of days to let you know when Mr. Cobblepot will want to meet," Louie added.
"Okay, great! Thank you again!" Harleen said as she walked out of Louie's office. "Hey, doll," A voice said. "Lexi! You came!" Harleen exclaimed as she ran over and hugged her friend. This was Alexis Jacobs, a personal friend of Harleen's. "I wouldn't miss my babe's big interview! How'd it go?" Alexis asked.
"I got it! He said that I have to meet Mr. Cobblepot in a couple days to approve it, but you're looking at the new weekday bartender for the Iceburg Lounge!" Harleen said happily. "Well, congrats, Harl! This'll be good for you after all that stuff with Tommy," Alexis said. "He's a jerk, I'm over him okay?" Harleen replied, her tone completely shifting. "He just doesn't seem that interested in dating. It totally was never you, he's just gay or something," Alexis responded.
Harleen laughed. "Yeah, I bet Bruce Wayne is more his type." Alexis hugged her from the side and laughed with her. "That's the spirit," She said. As they walked out of the Iceburg Lounge, they passed by a TV sitting near the front of the building that began to play a news broadcast.
"Welcome to Gotham News Network, our top story tonight is a dead body hung from a street light outside of the Gotham Police Station," The anchorman began. "Whoa," Harleen said as she caught the end of it and stopped to watch.
"The body was identified as 22 year old Lonnie Machin. Machin had been masquerading in Gotham's criminal underworld as 'Anarky' so it is suspected that his murder had to do with gang violence. Just who was sending the Gotham Police a message? We still don't know. Police Commissioner Gordon has issued a statement saying 'The Gotham City Police Force will not tolerate this kind of action by the Mob. They cannot and will not muscle us into giving them free reign. We will be tracking down the people responsible for this and they will receive justice.'"
"He's so full of it," Alexis said as the two of them continued walking. "He doesn't seem so bad," Harleen replied, sounding bored. "No, he seems like a cool dude, just completely terrible at his job," Alexis said. "Blah, blah, blah. Why so serious Lexi? We've got to go celebrate my new job! The night is young and we've got places to be!" Harleen exclaimed. Alexis laughed, "Alright, Harley, lead the way."