Jim groaned. "Barbra … why didn't you think it was a good idea to call me about Dagget?"

"Cause he was on the news, so you should have already known about him." Once again, his daughter was giving him a headache proving the downsides of having a child ... specifically a hyperactive girl possibly on the spectrum. He was horrified by the prospect of teenage rebellion. "And it all worked out in the end."

"Dagget pulled a gun."

"And everything worked out because Batman was there, and this time it was at night, so the chances of him NOT being there were slim!"

"Babs, you can't rely on Batman for everything, he's one man." A very capable man, but a human all the same. He knew that from years of experience. "He's not a safety net that gives you an excuse to jump off a building." He saw a look in her eye. "Jump off a building and I'm selling all your bat merch."

"Fine fine, no jumping." Barbra muttered.

"And you're definitely not skipping anymore school, or I'll tell your teachers to send you to summer school." He laid down the law.

"Yes dad, I promise. Besides, I actually saw Batman! He was so cool, beating up that crooked guy and saving Iruma from getting shot!" She chuckled. "He even says he thinks Batman's cool, so I'm winning the bet!l"

Ah yes, the homeless kid that Barbra has befriended not too long ago. One out of the thousands, if not millions, of orphans that made up this city. He was proud of his little girl for wanting to look out for someone of less fortunate circumstances, but he felt like she was becoming a bit overzealous.

"Pumpkin, you know we're gonna have to call social services eventually, right?" He sighed as he placed his daughter on his lap. "I can't just let an orphan child run around.

"Dad, that's not going to happen."

"Babs …" So much innocence …

"He broke out of a prison cell in a police precinct, you think social services will hold him?"

"That only makes me more concerned." At many things, not the least being the security at the GCPD of all places, he was sure they at least had higher security than Arkham. "I just don't want you getting into trouble you can't get out of. Gotham's a dangerous city and you can't ever be too careful out there."

"We'll be fine dad." Barbra waved off. "Although personally I'm more worried about Iruma being desensitized to danger. That and his bottomless appetite. I swear he ate enough steaks to make up an entire cow. Can we measure that, what's the exact length of a cow?"

"We're also getting you that appointment next sunday." Eileen definitely had a point about getting her tested.

"I'm only going along with it because all doctors are evil and one of them is bond to be a super villain in disguise I can beat up!"

"Not all doctors are evil Barbra."

"But most of Batman's villains are doctors and scientists."

"Eh … not this one." Jim noted off handedly.

"Ooooh, tell me tell me tell me!"

"... Only if you promise to stay home for the rest of the night."

"Can do-wait l, aw man, that means I can't be there with Harleen and Iruma at the circus." A circus ... at night ... in Gotham … that had a plethora of red flags all over it.

"Sorry Pumpkin, but that's the deal. And it's a school night." Jim crossed his arms. "You need to learn how to prioritize what's important."

"Mmmmmm,." Barbra scowled as she paced back and forth. "Mmmmh…. fine, fine, I'll stay one… so tell me! Tell me what Batman villain is out there that I don't know about!"

"Well … thing is, multiple deaths came in as a result of a sewer gator."

"… That's it?" Barbra's eyes twitched. "A sewer gator… that's what I promised to not sneak out for!? A sewer gator!?" Barbra shouted. "You tricked me!"

"Yes, yes I did." He smirked. "Let it be a lesson in learning to use reasoning and not jump in an impulsive move."

"Vengeance!" She cried out. "Vengeance! I will be the vengeance that stalks you through the night!"

"As long as you're still in the house, feel free to stalk away." He snickered. It was for the best, he REALLY wanted her away from a killer animal. The children's luck could only take them so far.

Harley gave a dramatic wave. "Behold little Iru, the circus!" She exclaimed, showing off the wondrous sight in front of them. "The most magical place in the world." Aside from the joker's numerous hideouts and the ace chemical plant that is.

"Wow … corn dogs for only a quarter." Iru giggled, running to the nearest concession stand. Babsy couldn't make it due to 'declaring vengeance on her father', which Harley took as a sign that she was fully embracing chaos and rebellion. All she needed to do was kick the Batman obsession and admire much more healthy idols, like the joker!

"Silly Iruma, there's plenty of other fun to be had besides food here." She smiled.

"Oooh … does that mean Zee and her fun magic show is here?" The boy asked with a bright sparkle in his eyes.

"Still thinking about your little princess friend~?" Harley teased as she poked his face. "Thinking about sweeping her off her feet and marrying her?"

"No, I don't have the money to support kids, let alone a house for two." Iru responded like that was the answer all sane people would respond with. It definitely the funniest answer he could've given though.

"Ah, what a trade off. So funny, yet so hard to tease." She lamented with a smile. "Sorry, no magic princesses today, but I swear there's plenty of other fun things we can do."

"Without Barbra?" He asked. "But we always do fun stuff together."

"I know little Iru, but unfortunately, the man is keeping her down." Harley pouted.

"The man?" Iruma asked curiously. "Wait, did that guy with the gun come to beat her up!?" He looked worried as people began starin.

"No no, I'm talking about a metaphorical man."

"A what now?" He asked.

"Just means there're rules people follow that prevent them from having fun whenever they want." Harley explained.

"Ooooh, like how you accept being eaten when you're attacked by a stronger animal." He nodded. "Rule of survival."

"Exactly! It exists, even though it's completely unfair." Harley nodded as she noticed a row of cotton candy that she swiped while no one was looking. "Like this. Without the man breathing down on you, you could have all the food and sweets you want without a single issue." She tossed him a fluffy pile of the sweet stuff. "And not just the garbage you're used to eating, I'm talking fresh off the plate stuff like the steak you ate the other day."

"But it's a good thing there's garbage." He said as he ate. "That way everyone has a chance to eat, not just me."

"Not everyone has a stomach as iron as yours." Harley smirked as she took two bags of popcorn from a nearby couple that weren't paying attention. "And some people don't even get the chance to eat garbage while jerks like that Dagget guy eats all the microwaved dinners he can buy."

"Lucky… he can afford a microwave." Iruma muttered bitterly. "But he was such a jerk to Babs and Pamela. Do jerks just get all the money?"

"Yep. That's why we need people like the Joker around. He messes up the people that have the money and makes the world smile." She grinned.

"But doesn't he hurt people too?"

"Yes. So does Batman, but he beat up Dagget and saved you. Some people don't stop bullying others until they know they can be bullied too." Harley explained.

"So.. I have to be a jerk to stop other jerks?" He asked.

"Here's the simplest yet most important lesson you'll ever learn, little Iru." She poked his little nose. "Sometimes, ya gotta do something wrong for the right reasons. Making sure you're not alone, making sure my besties are happy, will always be the right answer in my book."

"Right. The law doesn't matter, helping people does." He nodded.

"Aww, I knew you'd understand!" Harely squeezed the boy. "Such a shame Bab's is slower on the uptake. I blame her cop dad."

"You mean the nice man that doesn't arrest us when we do things we're not allowed to?" He asked.

"I didn't say he was a bad guy, just saying he's too goodie goodie." And he worked with Batman, yuck. "Big difference you'll get when you're older."

"Okay ... you're really smart, Harley." He smiled as he held her hand. "So do you… go to a different school than Barbra?"

"Nah, I just ditch it cause you needed it." She smiled down at him. "You can learn more exploring the world than you can listening to some old fart yap away at subjects no one cares about."

"Ooohh … like how you can avoid heat stroke in the summer by collecting your sweat into a bowl to douse yourself with?"

"Bit of an extreme example, but yes." Harley nodded. "So … wanna see the clowns?"

"Nah, they aren't as funny as you." This kid really knew how to warm a girl's heart. "What's this?" He pointed to a poster on a nearby tent.

"Hm, Haley Circus Freak show freak out fantastical funhouse." Harley read outloud. "Ooh, I know this one. They put people in bad costumes and people laugh at them while they act like animals in a cage."

"... What's funny about that?" He asked. "Just sounds mean."

"It's funny in how bad they are at trying to trick you into thinking they're real." Harley smirked as they walked inside. "Most common one they'll have is a bearded lady."

"What's freaky about that?"

"Cause it's just a glued on bit of hair." Harley explained as she saw the woman in question walk by. "Watch." She said, yanking on the beard.

"OW! Hey, watch it brat!" The woman ... or it could've been a man in drag, it was kind of hard to tell, shouted. "Every hair is a guaranteed paycheck for me!"

"People pay to look at hair?" Iru questioned.

"People pay to look at anything as long as there's something flashy promised." She nodded as she pushed the 'world's tallest man', which was just two midgets on stilts. "Because staring at something weirder than you makes people feel better about their own lives."

"... Not really, no." Iruma said. "These guys are getting paid to stand around. I wish I was as weird as them."

"You have something better than weirdness, Iru, you have adorableness!" Harely grinned as she squeezed him. "Now lets see if we can actually see something weird around here."

"Hm.." Iru looked around, noticing a corner in the tent that seemed to be isolated. "Huh, that looks kind of strange." He pointed to a sign with a picture of an alligator walking on its hind legs.

"Meet Killer Croc, the most hideous reptile man ever put on the face of the planet." Harely read the sign. "Eh, probably just some sewer gator they put in people clothes."

"Huh… that actually sounds pretty funny." Iru chuckled. He looked past the tent … and frowned. "Aww, it's invisible."

"What?" Harely blinked, looking at the cage that was supposed to house it.

"I thought only chameleons could do that?" Iru asked.

"Weird." Harley muttered, looking to one of the circus goons. "Hey Bozo, where's the gator man?"

"Ah, Waylon." The 'blind psychic' said with a sigh. "He couldn't handle the laughs like the rest of us. Left when he stored up enough money. Now the exhibit sits, waiting for a new act."

"You know where we could find him?" Iru asked.

"I sense the answer … but my mind's eye is hazy." He held out his hand, making a 'gimmie' gesture.

"Of course." Harley groaned. "Why don't you go get some pretzels Iru, I'm going to make sure we get precise directions."

"Okay, I'll try to save you some… like really, I'l try, it's kind of hard to resist with the smell of warm bread around… warm bread, I used to think that was just a dream…" Iru smiled as he turned the other way.

"Alright, now that he's out of the way…" Harley turned to the 'blind' man… and pulled him down to the ground, slamming his head in.

"AH-!"

"Listen up Bozo! I am doing my best to make sure that kid smiles and I am NOT going to let his night be ruined just because some con man wants a few extra bucks, so you're going to spill the deets, or else!" Harley threatened, getting face to face with the man.

"Ehem." She heard someone clearing their throat, turning to see a midget, a guy with muscles too big for his body, and a girl with a snake around her neck. "Do we have a problem, little girl?"

"Oh, my bad, sorry, how rude of me." Harely chuckled as she let go, adjusting her squirt flower. "Let me start from the top." She aimed it at the muscle man, and blasted him right in the face, making him tumble into the snake lady, making the snake freak out and bite the midget's head. "The name's Harley Quinn, and unless you DON'T want to make it out of here with three to four fractures across your chests, you'll give me what I want."

"Little girl cause much chaos for no reason." The man cracked his knuckles.

"No reason!? I just wanted to know where the gator guy is now and-"

"Waylon?" The snake woman asked. "Last I heard he planned on traveling to another city in the sewer system."

"... Thanks for skipping out on a dollar." The blind man grumbled.

"Thank you lady." Harely grinned as she began skipping her way out the tent. "Oh, and fyi… I'm an agent of Chaos, I don't need a reason!" She took out the fake windup up teeth she was saving in her pocket and threw it right in the center of the ten where the main pole was holding it up.

Chchchchk

Making it splinter and break apart as she flipped out of the tent and next to Iruma's pretzel filled face. "I know where he is.

"Sweet, I saved you one!" He held up a pretzel.

"Aww, how hard was it to save this?" She asked curiously with a smile.

"Super hard, my stomach could barely survive the hunger."

"I WAS IN THE BATHROOM FOR FIVE MINUTES AND EVERYTHING IS GONE!"

"That's my Iru." He would be a wonderful little chaos bringer once she took him in as her henchman. If only Babsy would be that easy to convince. "Come on, we can hang around the ferris wheel for a while before we catch up to the croc guy, take in all the bright lights and pretty colors."

"I do like pretty colors. So little of it in the streets."

Waylon took shallow breaths as he tried scrubbing his scales. "It's not coming off … it's not coming off!" So much blood … so much. "Why didn't they leave me alone … I just wanted to be left alone, why couldn't they have left me alone!?" Laughing and screaming and names and torment and thrown objects all over and over! He just wanted peace. He just wanted some fucking peace!

He wasn't a moron … okay, he wasn't a BIG moron … he wasn't so big to deny that being in the circus would've earned him some mockery. He understood that completely. He understood that he was different, and as someone who looked different, there was very little he could do about it, especially when it came to cities like freaking Gotham, a veritable cavalcade of freaks in of itself. He shouldn't have been that big of a freak, he shouldn't have been mocked…they shouldn't have laughed!

Waylon just wanted out. He accepted it was too much and left. For a new city, or some forest, or just away from anyone and everyone in general. But that one hard hat found him and started beating him, calling him a freak … he lost it. He punched back too hard. He wasn't supposed to be a strong man, he just had weird skin… skin that was night proof while on a diet of raw meat, but weird skin still! He wasn't supposed to be that strong… he wasn't supposed to be that strong…he wasn't even trying…

Then other people that came down here called him a killer, they came after him. They tried to kill him and he fought back. So much blood, so much blood. It wouldn't wash it wouldn't wash it wouldn't wash-

"Hellooooo! Mr Gator Man!" Spoke a high pitched voice. "My friend here wants to meet you! He could use a laugh!"

… A laugh … a laugh … like EVERYONE ELSE! "NO MORE LAUGHTER!" He swung his arm at the source… at a little girl.

"Look out!" A little boy, even younger than the girl, shoved the girl down on the ground as Waylon's.. No.. as the Croc's arm slammed into the nearest wall, and broke the brick into rock.

"Wow, you're good at this dodging thing." The girl giggled as if her life HADN'T just flashed before her eyes in a horrendous way.

"I'm just use to being in danger, fast moving arms aren't that deadly."

He … he almost killed … "I …" He needed to leave, Waylon needed to leave before the Croc took out someone else.

"Wow … an alligator in human clothes …" The boy stared at him with wide eyes. "... So cool."

"No, no, not cool, not cool, get away, get away!" He yelled trying to back off. "Go home, go away and go home!"

"Well, I don't really have a home." The blue haired boy spoke out. "I'm homeless, I kind of sleep wherever, but Crime Alley's my usual spot."

"I … what?" He blinked, taking a few deeper breaths. "... Why … are you here?"

"I was told there's an alligator in the sewers wearing human clothing … although you look more like a crocodile." The boy said. "What do you think, Harley?"

"I'm not really searing a snout at all, or a tail. Why are they calling you croc if you don't have either?"

"I think the flat face means he's a croc. Gator's have longer snouts, so he'd have a longer nose if he was a gator."

"How do you know?"

"I sometimes sleep at the zoo. I overhear a bunch of animal facts whenever I sneak out some of the chum and fish they feed the animals."

"What.. What…no.. No, no you shouldn't be here…" Croc grabbed his own head and pressed himself into a wall. "You're going to get hurt. I keep hurting people, people make me hurt, I can't deal with it.."

"...Do you hate yourself?" The blue haired boy asked.

"... Yeah, I do …" He admitted. "There's nothing about myself to like …I have gray skin as hard as rock.."

"Well, you don't get hurt too easily if those are your scales." The boy countered. "And if you're cold blooded, you don't have to worry too much about the heat or cold, since your body works with most environments."

"Oh yeah? What about teeth that could crack open your skull in one bite?" He threw out there.

"There's little you can't eat, which includes bone marrow, which is healthier than the meat around it."

"Everyone around me calls me a freak and laughs." He growled.

"I heard about that. It means you get paid money to stand around, which can be used for food so you don't go hungry at night." The boy answered, somehow either ignoring or not noticing the growling. "Sure being laughed at probably isn't the best feeling in the world, but it's better than being on the streets, isn't it?"

"..I don't even belong on the streets.." Waylon groaned. "I don't belong anywhere."

"Neither do I, so you're pretty much a normal person to me." The kid spoke out.

"Normal…" He glared, snapping his teeth in front of the kid. "DOES THIS FACE LOOK NORMAL TO YOU!?"

"Hey now, distance." The blonde pulled the blue boy back.

"I mean we're both freaky." The boy said. "You have scales and fangs, and I have blue hair and a cowlick."

"… I feel like you weren't trying to be insensitive, but missed it by a mile." Waylon lost the energy to even try arguing back. "I take it's your wonderful brain that led you on the street?"

"No, I lived under a bridge because my parent's lost me." The kid shrugged. "What about you?"

"Ditched me cause I look weird." He grumbled, falling down onto a wall.

"Huh…. Harley, you think my parent's ditched me because I have a cowlick?" The boy asked the blonde girl.

"If they did, then they're the biggest idiots on the planet." She laughed as she messed with the boy's hair. "Look Crocy-"

"I am NOT Killer Croc!" He yelled.. Before sighing. "My name's Waylon."

"Nice to meet you, Waylon. I'm Iruma." The boy smiled.

"Harleen Quinzel, a pleasure I'm sure." The girl bowed with a cackle.

"...You two really aren't freaked out by me?"

"Why would we be?" The boy asked. "You can talk and you aren't a danger."

"Plus we spent the other night listening to a crazy girl talk to weeds while threatening us with a knife, you're actually one of the few LESS crazy people we've met in a while." The girl giggled.

"...Kids.." So innocent and so stupid at the same time. "So, you found your reptile in a suit … what now?"

"Want to be friends?" He asked genuinely.

"You… you WANT to be friends with me?" He asked skeptically.

"Yeah, you seem like a nice person." The boy nodded. "And I haven't made friends with any guys yet either."

"He's kind of a little lady's man." The girl chuckled to Waylon in a whisper. "Like a young Bruce Wayne, without the snob, entitlement, and doucheness."

Waylon snorted. "Careful now, crazy or not, a lady shouldn't curse all that often."

"Oh, and your manners are any better?" She grinned.

"Of course, I'm a refined reptilian." He chortled. "I always eat my meat mush with a spoon and napkin."

"Wow… you get to use spoons." The boy's eyes sparkled.

"You have very low standards …" Something nice for the road. "You should head on now, things get … bad when I'm around."

"How bad?" The kid asked.

"I attract trouble.. trouble that gets people hurt." Waylon warned. "Trouble that's ends with people getting broken.. or worse."

"… Are they accidents?" The boy asked.

"I… I don't want to hurt anyone.. but the noise.. the noise gets so loud and I get so angry.. and they don't leave me alone.." He breathed heavily, trying to keep himself steady.

"Then it's fine." The kid smiled. "You don't try to hurt anyone, that's all people can ask."

"… I eat people." He sighed, giving the kid one last out. "My mind gets blurry and I eat people-"

"Oooh, so like a real croc." The blonde girl nodded. "Eh, it's not like we can get made at animals for following instinct."

"And it's not like you're doing something irredeemable as leaving their meat to waste." … There was a LOOOOONG silence at that. "What?"

"… Iru, are you a cannibal?" The girl asked.

"I never heard of that word before." The kid shrugged.

"… okay, I was wrong before, you are definetely freaky." Waylon laughed. "Alright, but seriously. You need to go now. Trouble could spring up anytime in this city for people like me."

"But who'd want to cause you trouble?" The boy asked.

A shadow fell over them … a bat shaped shadow … "Him."

Batman had been tracking this man for a while. Waylon Jones. Stage name, Killer Croc. Born with a rare form of atavism that resulted in a skin defect like that of an actual crocodile, leading to the death of his mother during birth. Raised by an alcoholic and abusive aunt, to which he eventually killed and ran away from, getting picked up by the circus in an early age.

Not just any circus however… Haley's circus, the home of the late Flying Grayson's… the day another boy's life was shattered before his eyes in Gotham city, one that he swore to do everything in his power to steer in the right direction. Dick held many great memories of his former home, and Batman would be damned before their name was dragged through the mud, before Dick's family name was dragged through the mud.

"Seventeen men dead." He grumbled as he marched to the man. One was an accident, twice was an investigation … this was a line that couldn't be uncrossed. This.. this was a serial killer. One of many monsters that popped out of this city, one that Batman was going to put an end to right now. "How many more will die before you're satisfied, Waylon?"

"Thats none of your business, bat freak, now leave me alone!" Killer croc growled as he took out his fangs. "I happen to be in a good mood right now, and I won't have the likes of you ruin my life!"

"A good mood …" After the death of many, many men … growling, he threw a batarang at the man's shoulder. "After ending so many lives… your in a good mood?"

The bataran hit his shoulder.. and stuck into the skin with no reaction. "Heheh.. tickles." Killer croc grinned, going into a striking position and punched forward.

Dermal skin, probably enhanced by some latent meta gene. He avoided the blow, watching as the fist destroyed the wall. Muscle density was increased as well. Physical force was going to be ineffective with Batman's current arsenal. That left the options of extreme temperature difference to affect the man's probable cold blood, electricity to get past the skin, a tranquilizer in gas form, and pinning him under the rubble of his own rampage.

"Wait, don't hurt him!" Batman had to narrowly split his focus as he ducked under a brick destroying punch, nothicing two other figures in the sewers, two very familiar figures. One Harleen Quinzel and one child, who after conversations with Jim, he could only identify as Iruma. "Waylon's really nice, he doesn't like hurting people!" The boy cried out.

Given the man was throwing a brick with enough force to crack skulls open, Batman was reeeeeally convinced. In all seriousness though, there would be a part of him that might listen … however … "He committed murder. He needs to be arrested, willingly or not." He took out his grapple and sent it around Killer Croc's arm, using the leverage to keep the gray man off balance.

"No, I just need to be left alone!" The murderer shouted, swiping at Batman's chest with his claws ripping through two of the five layers of his costume. A few more swipes and he'd reach the skin and draw blood. "No more people, no more noise!"

"You can't be left alone, not after what you have done!" He took out a taser and hit the murderer in the chest, making him stumble backward.

"It's not what I've done; it's what everyone in this stinkin city does, what everyone does to me! People are dead because they don't know when to leave well enough alone!" Blaming your own actions, horrific consequences, on others … despicable.

He avoided another swing, pulling out an explosive batarang and lodging it into the man's mouth, managing to cause injuries past the hardened skin. "When you've paid your debt to Society, you can be as alone as you want."

"Please stop, it was an accident!" The boy shouted.

"Get out of here, this isn't a safe spot for children." Then again, most places in Gotham weren't safe.

"You're the one that isn't safe here, Batfreak!" Killer Croc shouted as he charged right at him, Batman ducking out of the way and letting him wear himself out by colliding with the wall. Once he reemerged, Batman hit him once more with a taser. "Why did… why did you have to find me…why… waarrrrrggggghhhh!?" The pupils and irises completely disappeared from the man's eyes, leaving a sharp and fearful white gaze that conveyed little to no humanity at all… this was not a man, this was a monster barely on the edge ... A monster that was compelled to kill at the slightest provocation.

He avoided the sharp jaws, moving back as the man began attacking in a feral manner, wild and uncoordinated. But not elusively and unpredictable. He threw another smoke bomb into the jaws, letting it go off and disorienting the beast, as he delivered a kick. Batman would need to reinforce his suit at some point, something that could pull more impact against metas … or Bane. "You're just making him more angry!" The boy called out again, running in between the two of them. "Waylon, it's okay! You don't have to attack anyone!"

"MOVE!" Batman pulled the boy out of the way, getting smacked in the ribs in the process as he was sent hurtling into a brick wall. That was going to hurt in the morning …

"Oooh, the itsy bitsy Batsy tumbled down." Harleen Quinzel chuckled in a disturbing manner that for a brief second reminded Batman of the Joker. He would have to look into getting this girl.. And her friends frankly, psychological help. "My turn, rubber chicken attack!" She tossed said toy into his face.

"This isn't a game!" He took out some cable and wrapped it around the girl.

"Hey, hands off the merchandise!" She shouted as he hooked her up.

"This should keep you both out of the way until further notice." Batman nodded as he tried to do the same with the boy… only him to jump out of the way.

"Hey, don't tie me up, we're trying to have a conversation here!"

His confusion at the child having a skill that took Bruce months to learn distracted him from the real threat, which managed to sink its teeth into his arm. "GGRRRRR!" He needed to act fast, or he'd loose the limb.

"Waylon, stop, you don't want to do this!" The boy shouted. "Bat's are super unsanitary, you need to wash him first before you eat him!"

….The completely out of no where rationalization created a silence in the air that had him, Harleen Quinzel, and even Killer Croc silent… before the girl started laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAAAHAHAAA-oH MANAHAHAHAHAAHAHAA, oh iru… you're too much, you're WAY too much-!" Definitely getting them psychological help.

"Pfffftt… hahaha hahahahaaa." The monster snorted, his eyes returning to normal as the teeth in his arms began to loosen, although Batman's arms were still restrain in Killer Croc's grip. "Hahaha…wow, of all the reason to stop fighting the Batman… that was probably the most out of nowhere response." The croc spoke civilly. "...And somehow true. Seriously, you smell like you haven't bathed in a week, and I've been in the sewers all day, get some hygiene." Croc gagged as he slammed Batman's head into the brick wall.

"Are you going to kill him?" Harleen Quinzel asked. "Or eat him?"

"No… to prove to this prick that I'm not a monster… that the only thing wrong here is people like HIM getting in myh way.." Killer croc grumbled as he grabbed his neck. "One chance Batfreak… stay away from me.. Be glad these kids were here or this would've been a different story."

Yes, it would have, you would have been behind-

SLAM

Reinforce … the cowl … as well.

Iruma walked with the man as he and Harley tricked through the sewers. "We should be nearing the edge of Gotham soon." Iruma had slept in the sewers enough nights to be familiar with it. "Only thing there is the swamp that goes on for a few miles."

"A swamp… how Ironic." Waylon rolled his eyes with a smirk. He had no idea why the gray skinned man was afraid they'd be scared of him. He was really pleasant to be around.

"Wham, bam, sham, glam, you really put the beat down on old Batsy!" Plus he made Harley really happy. Although she was happy that someone got beat up, but Barbra liked it when people got beat up too, so maybe it was just a taste thing, like how he liked those big romance novels more than the comic books they gave him. "You got awesome moxie, man!"

"Yeah … always been a bit tougher than the average man." Waylon shrugged, looking at the tunnel. "It's why I got to leave…. And finally have freedom and isolation …"

"Isn't that lonely?" Iruma asked. "I've been alone for all my life… I guess I didn't MIND being alone… but then I met Harley and Barbra, and they gave me feelings that make me feel empty if I didn't have them in my life." Iruma tried to sum up the feelings as best as he could, he wasn't the best at complicated sentences.

"Yes… it's lonely, but… people just don't mix with me.." Waylon sighed. "People are pain … when I'm around people, there's nothing but pain for everyone." Just like Pamela… was this a common feeling throughout Gotham .. did so many people feel this lonely all the time?

"I thought you were pals with the other circus peeps though?" Harley asked.

"I kept to myself… after spending hours getting mocked for, the last thing I want to deal with is more people." Waylon nodded.

"Well … if you ever want to talk to someone feel free to come back and visit Crime Alley." Iruma smiled. "I don't know how long I'll be there, but I promise I won't mock you."

"Sure, We could eat rats and talk about the weather." The man smirked.

"Exactly. Homeless freaks without a family like us have to stick together … right?" He asked

"You have no filter on your mouth do you?" Waylon snickered.

"I never had parents to tell me otherwise." Iruma shrugged

"Don't worry, me and my gal pal Babsy are making sure to raise him right." Harely giggled as she leaned on top of his head. "We even make sure he doesn't swear."

"Then make sure he doesn't pick it up from you." The crocodile man snickered.

"I don't see the big deal with it." Iruma shrugged. "It's just mean words people say when they don't have anything creative to say."

"Exactly, and you're too sweet to be mean." Harley rubbed his head.

Iruma wasn't too sure about that, but if everyone else said so. "Hey Waylon?" Iruma questioned.

"Yeah kid."

"... You don't seem to like what you did … and the guy in the bat suit beat you up for it …" He tilted his head. "Is killing wrong?"

"...I can't answer that… cause frankly I don't know." Waylon sighed. "I guess.. It just depends on if you can live with it… and… I can't…" He looked ahead into the swampy waters. "It's not something you should try to live with."

"... Okay." He nodded. "I think you should live though … you seem nice." Very nice and friendly.

"Your one of the few who thinks so kid… stay safe…" Waylon waved off as he dove into the swamps of the outskirts of gotham.

"Huh… we just had our free willy moment together!" Harly grinned.

"Our what now?" Iruma asked.

"Babsy and I have got to start you on movie night one of these days, we got a LOT of catching up for you to do." Harely chuckled as she picked him up.

"Speaking of, should we mention that we helped beat up Batman to her?" Iruma asked.

"Eh, just bring up how we met a croc and then met batman again. Girl's gonna go crazy knowing that she missed out on another batman sighting."

He nodded. He and Barbra should probably do the same if they ran into Joker again alone. "Thank Harley." Iruma smiled as he hugged her head from her shoulders as they began walking out. "My life has felt less empty with you two in it."

"You are too sweet for your own good Iru." She hugged him back as they left. "Too sweet for your own good."