Mary walks down the long walkway with a tired, uninterested guard trailing along after her; the nametag the man wears saying only 'Officer 334'. It is 2 in the afternoon and there is still a bit of warm sunlight coming from the tiny, heavy duty windows that resided on the walls. They were bullet proof, plant proof, grenade proof, and whatever else the lunatics within Arkham could come up with. Dastardly fiends that she is able to avoid most of the time, except for 'Free Period' where prisoners are allowed out to take part in mild-mannered activities. To avoid riots many of them are given timeout in windows depending on where their cells are placed and, being stuck on the second floor in the east wing of the asylum, Mary is always there in the afternoons. Always stuck with the same crazies.
"Inmate BM223," the guard behind Mary speaks up suddenly.
Mary pauses her slow gait and faces the man, mockingly answering, "Yes, Officer 334?"
"We've a new inmate that will be joining your block today. Keep your distance, as always, and refrain from causing issues," the man explains with a grimace on his face. Mary uses this moment of conversation to really look and observe this figure that has become a constant in her life these past few weeks. He is moderately handsome with a strong jaw, a proud nose, a stoic mouth, and dark eyes that stared through her. She nods and finds her eyes staring at his badge as he continues, "We've been told that your appearance may trigger him slightly with how recently he's returned. His last stint didn't go very well for his last victims."
"Wouldn't it be wise to keep me in my cell for the day," she asks.
He scoffs, "The big man funding us doesn't like having you all cooped up. Someone with a few psyche classes under their belt told him that solitary wasn't good in the grand schemes of recovery or some shit. So, you'll go and keep your head down so that way none of us have to deal with him visiting, capiche?"
She nods again.
"Good, now keep moving."
They do not speak or look at one another until they reach the heavy metal doors of the 'Free Period' room. A former cafeteria space that was repurposed after Wayne Enterprise decided to funnel ridiculous amounts of money into building several new wings of Arkham. It's filled with many basic things that can't be manipulated easily by those within it as everything within it is either plastic, metal, or a specialized fabric. Books printed specifically to allow all patients/inmates a chance to get more recreational hobbies, but Mary found that the books were ridiculously boring. It's likely why many of them played card games or dominos instead if the TV was already occupied. From the sounds emanating through the door, there was already someone enjoying a few episodes of Golden Girls. Officer 334 undoes two locks before opening the door for her and she's greeted to the sight of several familiar faces turning her way. She doesn't mean to hesitate but their lingering gazes have Mary feeling more uneasy than normal.
"Remember what I said," the man says as he nudges her along. The door's closed before she can reply.
Mary Dahl was not a fan of the other inmates that shared her 'Free Period'. Harvey Dent spent a lot of his time setting ridiculous gambles and setting up debts for whenever they finally made their escape. He also had a preference for talking shit about anyone not present and spreading rumors to whoever would listen. Right now, Dent sits at the bolted down round table in the corner that makes up the resident poker table beside the forever dealer, Tony Zucco. Both men enjoyed their misogynistic jokes and their interest in people owing them favors. Surrounding the table are a variety of henchmen that had been mentally worn down by Scarecrow's last few plans. Mary's attention moves from the ongoing game to the square table on the opposite side of the room where dominos are played between a few henchmen, Penguin, and the heavily sedated Farmer Brown.
A small gang war was often happening between games as Penguin and Two-Face were passionate enough about their games that they wanted it to dominate 'Free Period'. It kept many of Batman's core Rogue Gallery members from getting too involved in one another's business as they've been known to get antsy. Commissioner Gordon spoke for almost an hour on the reforms they were putting in place to make reformation possible while not burning any bridges that'll be more useful later down the line. Mary thought the careful orchestration of rivalries would be used as a tool to ensure peace amongst the swill of Gotham, even when some were once elites. Mary's attention finally turns to the couch in the middle of the room where Harley and Pamela are curled up together between a napping Selina Kyle and bored looking Roxanne Sutton. The four rarely sat on the couch without the others to avoid being in the presence of the lecherous men they've been stuck with, plus they wanted to avoid added time on their sentences for killing or maiming anyone that got too bold. Usually Mary would drift that way to quietly appreciate their protection, but she couldn't bring herself to watch Golden Girls again. So, instead, she decides to chance it at the book section of the room.
Two large, bolted down metal bookshelves reside in the last corner of the room with a small group of 'intellectuals' sitting around it. Almost a book club with how long the books have resided in the Asylum for years and Mary wondered if she should write to Wayne Enterprise about the benefits of better fiction being added. Carefully and quietly, Mary wanders close enough to read the spines of the books in hopes of finding a classic amongst the trashy romance novels that filled the shelves.
"I pray that Orwell and Shakespeare haven't been scooped up yet… I'd even take Alice in Wonderland if it gave me some reprieve," Mary mumbles to herself as she avoided getting too close to the men sitting across the plush carpet. Then she remembers the library rule.
"Shhhhh!"
Mary stiffens, turning to find both Edward Nygma and Jonathan Crane glaring at her from their designated corner of the rug. The two men didn't get along on the best of days after years of failed partnerships or even their unspoken rivalry over having the better traps. It was the most recurring thing in the betting pool to figure out who would give Batman the most trouble the longest. So far, Nygma was up by three points for his more advanced escape attempts, keeping the Bat on his toes. Mary can almost respect it.
"Sorry. I'm just looking for a good book," she gives them a small smile in apology. Nygma keeps his glare while Crane seems to immediately lose interest in favor of getting back to his book once more. It's surprisingly one of the trashier romance novels, Lace by Shirley Conran, and the man seems to be halfway through.
Nygma huffs, "You should have gotten here earlier then."
"I would have but I was kept back by the guard. He had to give me a warning or something," Mary confesses, lowering her voice to avoid getting attention from their nosy rug mates. A few of them peeked at them from over their books.
Crane's attention returns to Mary as he asks, "A warning?"
"Something about an inmate that I should avoid," Mary shrugs, realizing that Officer 334 never told her the name of the supposed prisoner. One of many oversights that are made by the guards that work within Arkham Asylum, but she's not worried about it. She'll be out in another few months if she keeps up her good behavior and makes progress with her therapist. "I don't know anything about him except that I could cause him to freak out."
Nygma's brow furrows, "How?"
Crane lowers his book completely as he asks, "Why?"
"Both are good questions and I can answer neither of them, unfortunately."
Nygma leans against Crane's side and whispers, "This is a rather unorthodox way to give out a warning. It almost seems like they want you to affect this person. Perhaps it's someone that's caused a lot of mayhem?"
Crane taps his chin as his wild pale eyes flicker around as he thinks, "Joker's still on the run, though. Clayface and Killer Croc have been in their respective fish bowls for the last year, so it can't be either of them. Definitely doesn't fit Bane's M.O either…"
"No one too important has been brought in either. The only one is- No, they can't mean Tetch. I know that he's a bit flighty and all over the place at times but I didn't see him as someone to do anything drastic to a non-Alice," Nygma clutches the shorter man's shoulder violently.
Crane cringes and shoves the other away before mumbling, "Ow! Yeah, ugh, I figured out the same thing. However, have you looked at our Miss Dahl recently?"
"What about her?"
Both men turn to Mary at the same moment and the scrutinizing gaze has every insecurity rearing their heads at once. Mary's body was still trapped at three feet in height and a bit of weight giving that look of baby fat, as well. Blonde hair grown out to the middle of her back with only a headband to keep her overgrown bangs out of soft blue eyes. Before Mary can ask just what the men were staring at, Nygma suddenly holds up the book that she'd been looking for. Alice in Wonderland. She was face to face with a drawing of a curious blonde girl gazing up at a grinning cat, a blonde that she resembles much more than she realized.
"Like Alice," Mary and Nygma say at the same time.
"Exactly."
"Tetch… The Mad Hatter," Mary whispers as she puts it together. Her eyes widening in surprise, "They think that he might change delusions because his first Alice didn't pan out. That's why I was warned."
"I didn't even know Jervis was meant to be moved here," Nygma says through grit teeth, unable to hide his annoyance at not being in the know.
"He made a real mess on the outside from what I hear. Maybe they wanted to keep things quiet?"
Nygma grips his book and glares down at it, "How could they hide him? Enough of us know what he looks like, right?"
"Heard that he's got Doctor Roman."
A shiver runs through all three inmates at the name. They turn to where the voice had come from to see a scarred inmate flipping through a Fahrenheit 451 book without a care in the world. He turns to them, showing off his mismatched eyes and the disfigurement that covers most of his left side. This unknown man sports an ugly smiley face scar on the back of his neck and the cheeky grin he throws them is missing many teeth. A former member of Joker's gang from the looks of him; the man giggles maniacally at the confusion of the three.
"Jervis…? No, he's only maimed people at worst," Nygma denies.
"Only the Joker or Croc has been stuck with that-," Crane can't bring himself to finish his sentence.
"Says it was an accident. The Bat seemed t'believe 'em but they didn' wanna take no chances an' that's prob'ly for the best cause who knows what'd happen if they let 'im get away with it," the mystery man laughed louder.
"So he could already be here."
Mary knows that she has never seen the face of Jervis Tetch so it would make no sense to search him out. Yet, she finds her head moving this way and that to see if there is an unfamiliar face amongst the crowd. Henchmen galore in all stages of healing with a few of the Rogues scattered amongst them, enjoying their time without a care in the world as they are unaware of Mary's nerves. A feeling that she doesn't understand because she doesn't know much beyond the man's love for Lewis Carroll's work and for fantastical fun. Even heard a bit of his rhyming playing in the background on the news. But the clearly psychotic inmate that gave them information has set off alarm bells in her head. An accident? Enough hurt or dead to warrant a visit to Dr. Roman? It was enough to make her skin crawl.
"What does he look like," she asks.
Neither man seems to hear and she still can't see anything.
"What does he look like," she asks louder.
"Average height for a man with messy blonde hair, a large nose, and an overbite," Nygma says absentmindedly, his face pinched in annoyance as he can't find his target either.
"Huge teeth and beady eyes," Crane adds.
The mystery henchman chortles, "It's because he's British."
"That's… Honestly, that's a weird thing to say but not as weird as anything else that's happening. A crocodile man and a clay person are kept in the basement so weirder things exist," Mary confesses.
"I just don't- OH MY GOD!"
"Jesus! What the hell's your deal?!" Mary turns to see Roxanne Sutton had gotten up from the couch and was now looking down at them as if appearing out of thin air. Her hand clutched to her chest, much like Nygma's did in this moment, as though she was suffering from a heart attack. She collects herself, clicking her tongue as she flips her hair in annoyance, "It's too small in here for you weirdos are too wound up. All I came to do is ask Mary what she's doing in the corner with you losers. It can't take this long to get a book."
"How'd you know I was getting a book?"
"You stared at us for like five minutes without moving before waddling over here for book club," Roxanne openly sneers at the quiet group.
"It is not a book club," Nygma crosses his arms.
"It's kind of a book club," the mystery henchman snickers.
"Ugh, no one asked you, Greek," Roxanne snaps at the man.
Mary has no idea why someone would name their child 'Greek' or much less that it would become someone's nickname. It was weird that Roxanne could recognize him and how undisturbed either man was with his presence—Nygma would have blackmailed him to go away by now. He'd done that to Mary the first week of her sentencing, after all. She wondered if he had gone solo at some point after working for the Joker or if he was someone before that. Questions like that weren't appreciated in Arkham, though. Questions got a person in the worst kind of trouble and Mary already promised a certain caped figure that she'd finally stay out of trouble after her last escapade. So, for her own peace of mind, the short woman turned her focus back on Roxanne only to realize she'd missed part of the conversation.
Nygma jabs a finger into Crane's shoulder, "I would never be in a book club with you!"
Crane raises a brow in aloof disgust, "What makes you think that you'd be able to even handle the books I read?"
Nygma snatches up Lace with enough ferocity to crinkle the edges of a few pages, Crane gasps like a puppy had just been murdered in front of him. The brunette shakes the novel in the shorter man's face as he spits his words, "This revolting, deplorable, low-brow, drivel that pretends to be anything close to Pride and Prejudice—"
"There are other stories in the world beyond Jane Austin," Crane shoves the taller man.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down before the guards get involved," Mary shuffles back as her eyes head to the cameras. But no one is listening. Greek giggles and chortles like a school girl in pure glee as the books fly, collars are grabbed, everything becoming a whispered argument barely inches apart. Roxanne rolls her eyes while Mary scrambles to pick up the books, "Hey, hey! They won't replace these, you know. What will you do with your time if you destroy all the good books?"
The two freeze and glance towards their fallen choices before turning on one another as they shout in unison, "Because you-!"
"Okay, shut up! No one cares! Mary, are you coming or not," Roxanne asks, nodding her head back towards the couch where the girls are still wrapped up in Golden Girls. A new episode had started, at least.
"Yeah, sorry, I… Uh, bye," Mary hands the books back but keeping Alice in Wonderland tucked under her arm as she goes. Might as well enjoy a classic.
Mary is beginning to think that it was all some kind of elaborate prank. The warning then fighting and now being swept up in this uneasy feeling of shadows in every corner just waiting to pop up. Nothing was resolved and being in this loop of uncertainty wasn't going to help her anxiety. Doctor Yakov is going to be very pleased with this development, she's been asking Mary to try a new prescription the closer her release gets.
"Heya, Doll! Was wonderin' when y'come ova, babes," Harley grins, the clownify doctor's voice greeting Mary as she reaches the couch. She looks up to see Selina's blurrily blinking sleep from her eyes at Harley's mild jostling so that all four women are focused on her. Harley continues, "Whatcha readin'?"
"Alice in—," Mary is cut off by Harley snatching the book from the shorter blonde's grasp. Before Mary can question why the book is thrown across the room. "Hey!"
"Y'don' need that. Trust me, y'don' need that psycho on yer radar," Harley leans in to whisper.
Mary can't help the frustration in her voice when she whispers back, "Not you, too!"
Ivy looks at Roxanne, asking, "Too?"
"Riddles and his twitchy boyfriend were freaking out when I got there. I don't know nothing. I ran your errand now let me watch Blanche flirt," Roxanne pointedly looks at the tv and promptly ends further involvement.
Selina rolls her eyes, "You tragic lesbian."
"Not listening!"
Ivy ignores the two, "They told you about Tetch?"
Mary nods, "The guard who brought me here did too. I don't understand how he's become the biggest social pariah in here. Who even is this 'Mad Hatter'?"
"Jervis Tetch was a scientist that wanted to prove he could influence the minds of animals. He was quiet, reserved, and always lost in his own fantasies to the point he deluded himself that a girl that worked with him liked him. She did, but not in that way. And, of course, like a man it led to a ridiculous scheme that needed Batman to intervene in. He's been slipping away easier than anyone thought possible, no one thought he was doing some long con," Ivy explains.
"Is that how those people got hurt? Some long con?"
"Circus work, I think. Much bigger animals were involved and things went awry when he let his thoughts get the better of him," Ivy's expression is clouded over. Developing a conscience was an unfortunate fate that befell people within Arkham and, already being a heavily empathetic person, Ivy was always at war with herself. Humans were a beast that killed the Earth but they were beings with the capability of goodness almost as much as darkness. Mary wondered if Pamela would ever be able to live a normal life with the progress she was making or if that inner voice would fight her for the rest of her days. She doesn't voice this question as Ivy continues, "He's lurking…"
Mary feels a shiver race up her spine, "Lurking?"
Selina subtly nods towards Penguins' table, "He's by the farm boy."
It takes everything in Mary to not turn and search out that crowd for the unfamiliar face among them. He was there this whole time and none of them noticed? How? Penguin's table is much closer to the library corner than Two-Face's, meaning that he's probably heard their conversation. A cold sweat begins to break out along her forehead as she grips the edges of her oversized prison attire. A million terrifying scenarios cycle through Mary's mind, eye of what could be happening, of what he could want from her if she's not careful.
The panic must be obvious because Harley places a hand on Mary's small shoulder, "Hey, y'okay. Deep breaths, babe, so ya don' pass out."
"Just stick with us for free period. You'll be fine."
"I'll be fine," she repeats.
Mary lets herself be pulled onto the couch to sit between Harley and Selina, they all shift to give her space. She sits in silence as episodes of The Golden Girls seem to slip by, from Sophia dealing with her new friend's Alzheimers to a plane ride of terror for all the women involved.. A bunch of hilarious shenanigans that reminded Mary of the good ol' days and that pulled her into a much mellower state. It was almost enough to let Mary forget where she was for a second, but then her thoughts became quiet and her eyes wandered the room. Guards began entering the room, readying to gather up their designated prisoners so that the next cell block could be brought in for their 'Free Period'. Mary stands along with the others to await her guard and is surprised when her gaze meets the unfamiliar visage of a gaunt, ragged man. His blonde hair is in wild disarray with hints of strawberry blonde naturally scattered amongst his messy locks that stand out against his pale skin. The man appeared ashen, as though he was kept locked away somewhere from the sun for weeks at a time. Heavy bags under his eyes are dark enough to be a purplish bruising that makes him look even paler and make his blue eyes all the more electric as they stare her down. The redness of his bloodshot eyes the perfect contrast as Mary's mind awakens and registers a myriad of emotions that await within them; anger, confusion, awe, and an almost primal desire. It was intense like nothing that she's ever experienced before in the brief stint she spent on the dating scene, no disgust or pity as he watched her. Her eyes flicker down to his lips that move robotically repeating one name over and over as Officer 334 comes over to guide her away. The man moves her as quickly as he can but she can still make out his words.
"Alice… Alice… Alice… Alice…"