Death's a Joke.

Ace growled in frustration as the eyes were briefly covered by a blink, she shuffled closer so that her nose just scraped across the other person’s nose, their eyes dead level.

“I don’t know how the hell you manage to do it, but I hate you. Why the hell won’t you just die already?” Ace snarled, her hands grabbing material that clung to the person and dragging them closer.

“Y’know, I could ask you the same thing, toots,” Hissed the Joker over the sound of the roaring flames, his greased hair sticking to his skin.

Ace broke her glaze for a moment as she saw something flash in the Joker’s pocket – a knife was sticking out, reflecting the ball of fire that consumed the building. In one swift movement she ripped the knife out of his coat pocket and pressed it against his flesh. Her face tensed and her teeth bared in anger.

“Ha, ha, ho, ho, ha…tell me Ace, why so serious?” The Joker taunted with a smirk, his face paint smearing onto Ace’s nose as he pressed their faces closer.

Ace let out a small laugh before pressing her lips against his, the blade still grazing him. She pulled her lips anyway before twisting the knife sharply into the skin, the Joker’s smirk turning into a grimace. Ace stood, inspecting the red liquid on her hands before taking a bow.

“Can't you tell that this is all just a contest?
The one that wins will be the one that hits the hardest,
But baby I don't mean it,
I mean it, I promise…” Ace’s voice rang; each line slightly fainter as she skipped into the darkness, her amusement clear in her tone.

The Joker had not seen Ace around for a week, although she had obviously managed to convince some fellow underdogs to help her as her cards and destruction hung from every corner of Gotham. With nearly all the villains back in Arkham or the jail cells it meant Ace had become a figure of terror – she was everywhere and yet no-one could catch her.

“It’s all cleaned up boss!” Assured one of his new recruits; a young male in his early 20’s who was originally planning to become a doctor. The Joker had spent the last three days giving people the choice between their life or the chance to work with him, and his idea had given him some more intelligent goons for once.

With his knife wound healed almost completely he set off for inspiration to aggravate the Caped Crusader and remind people of why they should fear him, everyone was putting their defensives down seeing as so many criminals had been caught recently.

The Joker blended into the crowd at the circus that had come to town for one week only, taking up a plot of new growing grass that once was home to an old factory. No one seemed to notice the flicker of his green and purple suit as he sneaked through the people, the colours and attractions of the circus taking up their attention instead.