Sorry for the late update, kids. I've been getting ready to go back to class soon. Running around and all that. Yikes.
Anon - Thanks. I hope you enjoy the Scarecrow/Catwoman interactions in this chapter as well.
LittleGreyOwl - I am hoping that I can use impossible comic reality and have Firefly come back at some point. I was beginning to enjoy writing him.
Katherine - Nothing like a rogue gettogether...
Chapter Sixteen: Quest of the Delta Knights
**Crane**
"What a dump," Selina murmured, kicking aside an old bucket, watching it clank against a nearby wine vat, before rolling to a stop at the bottom of the basement steps.
"I don't know, a few corn husk dolls on the wall, a quilt on the bed, this place could be totally country," Crane returned drolly.
The two of them shared a small grin.
"The point is, it's unknown," Edward broke in archly. "And in the end, isn't living more important than a five star hotel?"
"No," Crane said bluntly.
"Well, we're going out back to milk the old bull," Two-Face grumbled sullenly.
"There's cows here?!" Jervis chirped, hands clasping together, face bright and shining.
"No one tell him," Ivy said. "I need a good laugh."
"Alright," Edward said. "Manbat, Maxie, when Two-Face finishes up, I want you three on guard, nothing conspicuous, stay to the shadows and trees, give us some eyes of the grounds."
"Why are we always resigned to guarding these temples and palaces of the lesser Gods?" Maxie demanded. "I am—"
"Shut up and do it," Crane snapped.
Scowling, Maxie stomped off, hauling Manbat behind him.
"Thank you, Jonathan," Edward said.
"No, really, Edward, it was my pleasure."
"Where do you want us, boss?" Query asked.
"As far from me as possible, hopefully," Selina muttered.
The two henchwomen glared at her.
"Take Temple and find some firewood for the fireplace upstairs, we're going to need warmth come nightfall and perhaps some food, if you three would be so obliging?"
"Anything is better than guard duty," Fugate mumbled, wandering off with the Riddler's henchwomen. "Of course, I won't know how long we'll be since my pocket watch is absent."
"Crane, stay nearby," Edward said. "I'll want you and Ivy's opinions on this hunt for Pyg."
"What about my opinion?" Selina inquired.
"Always valid, my dear," Edward returned.
Sneering at the puppy eyes Edward flashed the Cat, Crane flopped down on a stack of wine crates and removed his mask.
"Withdrawals returning?" Ivy asked, a leafy throne growing from a crack in the foundation wall so that she could ease back in style.
"Tired," he growled. "Not that you'd care."
"You're right."
Jervis plopped down beside them on the floor and pulled a sandwich from his inner jacket pocket, pushing the visor up on Firefly's helmet in order to eat.
"Where'd you get that?" Crane demanded.
"Found it."
Quirking a brow, Crane urge, "where?"
"Some kind of metal garbage can back on the docks," Jervis shrugged.
Reaching over, Crane took the sandwich between his thumb and forefinger, sneering at it. "You can't eat garbage, Jervis."
Ivy took the sandwich from him and tossed it at one of her plants, it landed in the gaping maw and was closed in on for the plant to digest.
Jervis looked put out and sulked a little. "I feel empty inside."
"We'll get you food soon enough," Ivy said.
"Peanut butter and chocolate sauce?" Jervis asked.
"You're allergic to peanut butter," Crane said. "And no sugar before bedtime or you—" He paused, trailing off, eyebrows lowering.
Beside him Ivy eyed him quietly, before smirking.
"Here on your left you have a well-known head shrinker realizing that he's somehow become his father," she purred, resting her cheek on her hand, her elbow on a nearby vine. "How does that make you feel?"
Crane stood up abruptly and marched over to the corner where Edward had settled, his face blank, his mind almost audibly whirring. "Are we going to make our move soon or is this going to be another week of—"
"Shh," Edward murmured, holding up a finger to him.
Inhaling deeply, Crane counted to ten, before clearing his throat. "Edward, you know how I feel about being—"
"Shush, shh, shh, shh," Edward went on.
Glancing over at Selina, he motioned to Edward with an open palm and a disgusted look, he received a cool shrug from the woman.
"If I had a rope I'd hang myself with it," Crane growled to her.
She smiled serenely.
"Oh, look," he lifted his noose up.
Reaching out, she gently urged him to drop it and sighed. "I think he's formulating a plan."
"It'd be nice if he let the pawns in on his strategy."
"Jonathan," Edward cooed. "If anything you're a knight or a bishop."
"Though he's tall and scrawny like a queen," Ivy pointed out from her spot beside Jervis.
"Queen's," Jonathan snarled. "Are the most powerful piece, so I'll take that as a—"
"You need a shave," Ivy broke in. "You look like a hobo and a stick insect mated."
"What does that have anything to—"
"Shush now," she returned, looking at Jervis and stroking his hair like one would pet a dog.
Turning to Edward, Crane leaned in and whispered, "Edward, we are both in agreement that when this is all over, if I'm still alive and she is still alive, I will force her to bend to her knee at my will where I will make her screams the music of the new dawn of my most fearful regime, right?"
"Feel free, my friend." Edward replied, clapping his shoulder companionably. "Just stew in your rage over there and let me think now."
Crane turned on his heel, angered to be thusly rejected, landing himself on the wall beside Selina, where he glowered sullenly at Edward, before realizing how little respect his friend actually gave him.
"You know despite how it seems," Selina murmured to him. "Ivy must respect you. She hasn't strung you up since that first night in her greenhouse."
Turning his attention on Catwoman, Crane realized just how sweet of a young woman she was. Really a charming thing. He could see her trying to appease his temper, but he didn't really need it to be appeased.
"Thank you, my dear, but her opinion of me is of little consequence." Casting a glance at Edward, he found the man's eyes flitting from them and then back to the wall before him.
Finding himself on the verge of irritating Edward in the same manner he had irritated him, Crane smiled down at Selina and said, "though, I do appreciate you trying to cheer me." He touched a finger to the underside of her chin.
By them he sensed Edward tensing and his cruel smile widened.
Selina quirked a brow and placed a hand on her hip, her own eyes glancing over at the Riddler, before she gave Crane an exasperated sigh.
He knew that she knew what he was plotting, but it didn't deter him. After Edward's treatment of him, he wanted to agitate the man at least only a little. Seemed this kitty was his ticket to tormenting the Riddler.
Reaching out, Selina offered him a coy smile and grasped at the noose around his neck, adjusting it like a tie.
Crane bent low to her, still smiling.
"Why, Jonathan," she said softly. "Are you flirting with me?"
"I don't flirt," he returned smoothly.
She gripped the noose and tightened it suddenly, yanking him down to her level roughly.
"Good, because if you were flirting with me, I'd be forced to poke at least one of your eyes out," she growled.
Having made a severe miscalculation, Crane reeled to free himself.
"Wait!" Edward jumped to his feet. "Those killers, they wear masks, don't they?"
Selina stopped choking Crane long enough to look over at Edward in shock, giving Crane time to unwrap her hands from his noose and straighten up.
"We need a costume and someone willing to go undercover! A sheep in wolves clothing, if you will," Edward declared.
"I will not," Crane grumbled.
Selina idly grasped for his noose again, eyes on Edward sombrely. "You know what that would mean, Eddie? One of us will have to actually be a hero." She jerked Crane's noose, although this time almost affectionately, her hip bumping against his hard. "What say Jon?"
"Heroes are not the stuff I'm made of," he growled. "Although since he's on his way out, perhaps Firefly could be propped up and—"
Selina jerked hard on his noose and he gargled. Her eyes were a hard warning beacon and he clamped his mouth shut.
"When I have a hard decision to make," Jervis broke in. "I always stick my fingers in my ears and shout."
"Please, no one humour him." Crane growled, still trying to free his noose from Selina's strong grip.
She yanked his noose again with a playful sparkle in her eye and he glowered hard at her.
"Why do you shout, little man?" Ivy demanded.
Crane cast her a withering glare that would melt a normal man.
Ivy, seeing as she was no man, merely smirked wickedly at him, eyes on the Mad Hatter.
"Would you like to see?" Jervis asked, stabbing his fingers into his ears.
He then proceeded to screech like some unholy demon cat, caused everyone to cringe.
"I'm going to knock him out! It's the only way!" Crane shouted to Edward, who was covering his ears from the goddawful sound.
Fugate came bursting down the stairs, a fireplace poker in hand, causing Jervis to stop and beam widely.
"See! I summoned a volunteer!" The Hatter declared.
Panting from his haste, Fugate eyed the basement with wild eyes, poker still held out like a sword.
"What?" Fugate demanded as Query and Echo joined him on the stairs.
"No, Jervis," Ivy said. "We need a hero, not a time dork."
Sniffing contemptuously, Fugate lowered the poker and leaned on it. "This time dork was prepared to run a man through with a fireplace poker for you, Pamela."
"My hero," Ivy gushed dryly.
Fugate dropped the poker sullenly and headed up the stairs with the Riddler's henchwomen. He dashed back after a moment saying, "actually I need this."
"Jervis, good idea, but Fugate is the last person we need going undercover with trained killers," Edward said. "We need, skill and physical prowess."
"Like an acrobat cat?" Crane inquired, eyeing Selina.
"Acrocat," Jervis fixed proudly.
"Yes, thank you," he snarled.
"Or maybe we need a nerd who's too smart for his own good?" She asked coolly, still gripping his noose. "I'm not the hero you're looking for."
"But you're the one we need," he teased.
She jerked his noose again and he flailed, properly choked.
"I volunteer Jon too," Ivy cooed.
"No, we need someone capable," Edward stated with a twinkle in his eye.
"Excuse you?" Jon demanded, freeing himself from Selina's grasp angrily and straightening up. "Excuse all of you?"
He towered over Selina and scowled deeply.
"I am a master of fear and I demand a certain level of respect!" He moved into Selina's personal space and lowered his voice. "And I will be respected." He turned to glare at Edward. "Find me a damned costume."
"But wait," Ivy broke in. "If we infiltrate them that means we'll need someone to act as bait to attract the…black masked…ninja things."
"I'll do it," Selina offered. "Since Jon's been so brave as to offer himself up as a spy."
"I'm so glad you said 'spy' and not 'hero', my dear," Crane murmured. "Or sacrifice."
"We have a plan," Edward said. "So? Let's go out and find something for dinner. And I mean, let's eat something substantial. Jonathan is going to need his strength up and I'm craving something that isn't crackers and stale water."
"Ooh, let me," Ivy offered. "I love going out and killing mammals for dinner."
"We…could also just go hit up a farmhouse, Ivy," Edward suggested. "Keep it lowkey."
Ivy sighed. "Whatever, I'm craving steak."
"Sounds like a good last meal," Crane grumbled.
Selina reached out and he leaned back to avoid being assaulted by her again. This time, however, she patted his chest with a serene, pleased grin.
"Hatter?" Edward asked. "Can you sew?"
"Can I?" Jervis declared proudly, pushing aside Firefly's leather suit to get as his own jacket, producing a wickedly long needle from within and holding it out. "Get me the material!"
"Selina, you've seen these men and lived," Edward said, cringing only a little and offering her a sheepish look. "I mean, you can give him tips on how their costumes look."
"Yes."
"Good, we have a plan!" The Riddler exclaimed, clapping his hands together and rubbing.