Rick and I had discussed his script over a nice dinner.

Luckily, he was a much better cook than I, so the food was edible.

The story he had come up with was quite eloquent, actually. It was a story about a dark magic that manifested itself in people throughout a mythical world, while his main characters are all fighting against it. It was pretty well written and had some pretty thought provoking moments with the characters he'd created.

After that, we just asked each other questions. Rick had a sharp wit and was an excellent storyteller, so I let him talk most of the time. Everything about him was casual and fun, meaning I was comfortable. It was a nice change of pace.

And after three hours of talking and laughing and generally having a good time, He drove me home and I went to sleep, deliriously happy.

The next morning, all of reality came crashing back onto me. My father's funeral was today. He had always hated funerals. It was kind of ironic, seeing as he was now participating in one himself.

All of the pain that I had been blocking out flooded over me, hurting nearly as bad as the initial death did.

"Are you ready Sable?" Clarity asked, knocking on the bathroom door. I sighed, slipped the massive black dress over my head, and walked out to meet her.

Despite my sewing efforts, the dress was still quite baggy about my waist, and was still about an inch too long. Clarity looked at me and smiled half-heartedly, her eyes tinged with red.

"Father wouldn't have wanted us to be sad," I told her, wiping away my own tears. "So we shouldn't be."

"Let's go," Clarity said nodding and leading me to the front door, where Glen was waiting in silence.

Before we left the apartment, we all stood, staring at each other in silence. A thousand conversations rippled between us like electricity, but no words were uttered. Only silence.

I felt closer to my sibling than I ever had.

The gravestone was made of dark marble, just like our father had requested. I smiled slightly at it, running my hand along the smooth, shiny surface.

"Thank you for everything, Dad. I love you," I whispered. Clarity and Glen were sitting on the ground next to the grave, huddled together for warmth and comfort. We'd been sitting here for an hour now, just thinking over our lives. I felt a little better, remembering Father as the happy man I knew him.

I took a step towards my siblings and wrapped my arms around both of them.

"I'm going for a walk. You guys are welcome to stay, if you want," I said, pulling Clarity's hair out of her face. "I don't like the graveyard," I added, looking around.

I never knew how to explain it, but I never liked being in a graveyard. Too much death all around me. I wasn't scared of death, and I sometimes saw it as a good thing, like how my father died. Sometimes, death was just a way of relieving pain.

But looking at the empty headstones stretch across the grass seemed so devoid of life. So many lives lost to murder, accidents, and disaster… this graveyard was especially bad, what with Gotham's crime rates.

"Okay…" Clarity whispered. Glen was silent, staring off into space. I gave them both one more hug before walking home, letting my mind wander.

The walk helped me calm down a bit. I was happy again, knowing that my Father was happy and safe... wherever he was. I felt like he was comforting me, telling me it would be alright.

I hoped Clarity and Glen were getting the same comfort.

Feeling a lot stronger and happier, I picked up a newspaper from the corner and flipped through the pages to the 'help wanted' section.

Not surprisingly, there were lots of jobs for guards. Everyone wanted a sliver of safety in this city.

Geographically, the closest job to my new apartment was in a small bank about a mile away from where I was now.

The job was as a night guard, hours spanning from 9:00 to Midnight every night six days a week.

I shrugged and set off in that direction. Any job was a job, and they'd be desperate for a worker. Nobody wanted to work in a bank, given our line of criminals.

Plus, it had a decent pay. That added to my wages as a teacher's assistant would most certainly leave me well off financially.

The bank teller smiled at me. She was a broad faced lady with frizzy brown hair and a red scarf. I instantly liked her.

"How may I help you?" She asked, as was customary in a bank.

"I'd like to get a job here… as a guard. You had a newspaper ad right here," I said, pointing out the add. The lady's smile grew, if that was even possible, and she nodded.

"Yes, yes. I'll send you to the manager right now. She'll show you around and get you started," She pressed a button on her telephone, and said, "Hillary Grange, we have someone here that is interested in working," she said before turning back to me. "Thank you, by the way. Finding a guard in this city is difficult."

"I need another job," I said, shrugging. "My name is Sable Tate, by the way."

"Dahlia Boles." Dahlia reached out to shake my hand.

To say the least, she was the type of girl with a firm grip and a handshake that left you with tremors in your knees.

Dahlia like to talk as well. She started to yak on and on about the bank, and didn't stop until her phone rang.

"Oh. Ms. Grange will see you now," She said, leading me behind the counter and pointing down a narrow hallway. "And don't worry, she doesn't bite."

"Thanks," I said, nodding to my new friend.

"Thank you for volunteering to do this, Sable. You have no idea how bad this city has it. There are plenty of jobs, but no one wants the ones available."

Hillary Grange was the gentle sort of woman with a kind smile and a twinkle in her eyes that radiated with wisdom. I trusted her instantly.

"I'll be fine," I said, shrugging. I seemed to be on good terms with several of the Rogues already, so I wasn't as worried as I probably should have been.

"You'll be working with two other guards, and you will be the night team. You'll meet Reed and Kaylee tonight, should have a good time with them," Hillary said, opening the door for me. "Can you start tonight? I don't want to sound desperate, but we really need the help."

"Yeah. I'll be here at 9:00," I said, waving my farewell. Hillary smiled sweetly at me and nodded.

"Thanks again, Sable."

Author's Note:

Well, this chapter was a good deal darker, wasn't it? Also, it has too much exposition.

However... I really needed to get Sable this job and the funeral is important to Clarity and Glen's developments later... blah blah blah... Sorry about the rather dull chapter, but It is quite necessary for this story...

I believe things get really exciting really soon!

More Riddler coming up next! A lot of Riddler in the next chapter, actually.