Just Paint Your Face

Daisy

He left.

He left.

I couldn't believe it. I let out a shaky sigh and looked over at Ivy. She was slowly rising into a sitting position, grabbing some of the gauze. She wrapped it carefully around her arm.

"He's not a monster." She looked thoughtfully at the message I'd written on the wall, "Just a sad, awkward, angry man."

I shook my head. She hadn't seen what I'd seen. She hadn't seen his eyes after he'd killed the guy who'd been doing the same as I had, listening. She didn't see the way his hands dripped hotly with that terrible red liquid, didn't see it pouring like a fresh rain out of the man's face.

Then again, he'd experienced it. Done it to himself even. And survived.

I turned. Ivy was shaking a bottle of pills at me, smiling weakly.

"Take one before you go to bed. He'll be back. He didn't even take his makeup."

But he wasn't back. Ivy looked rather sullen as we sat that morning, heads hanging over breakfast as the morning show sounded its happy wake-up music.

I ate oatmeal. No eggs. No smile.

I frowned.

Some live feed of the judge's and commissioner's funeral was playing. They were leading his coffin away from a church, a procession of policemen following behind. A small group marched ahead. The camera closed in on a few, with captioned names.

Harvey Dent.
LT Jim Gordon.
Rachel Dawes.

Ivy stood suddenly, laying her doughnut on the table.

"That's just downtown. We should pay our respects."

I gave her a look of disbelief.

"Uh... Flower Lady?" Goofy looked up from where he was sitting. Ivy raised her eyebrows at him.

"Boss don't want ya'll going down there. He said."

"Like I care." She laughed impatiently.

Goofy shrugged, "You gotta take that up with him."

"Well he's not here right now." She smiled mischeviously and rushed out of the room.

We threw on some black clothes, large sunglasses, and hats, hiding whatever unique traces we had. Ivy didn't seem to be in the mood for goofing off. Her face was set and her actions deliberate.

"Let's go." She said quickly when she was done. I followed silently. Always silently.

The Joker

Fuck. Can't believe I forgot the makeup. Tying up the honor gaurd was simple. Easy. Trying to blend in? Now, that brought challenges. But I didn't care. That was my style.

I remained silent and marched sullenly through the grey street, keeping my head bowed next to my expendable goons and resisting the urge go into fits of giggles.

GET OUT. MONSTER.

I sang in my head to keep the voices of doubt and stray emotion away.

I remembered the girl and how many CDs she had. I made a mental note to go and get a CD player or stereo before I went back. I couldn't believe I was thinking about them, about others. That wasn't like me. I licked my lip, frowning slightly. I allowed my eyes to look up slyly on occassion. There were so many people here. These guys must've been pretty admirable. Poor man. Who would steal such a life?

I would. I fought back a giggle, bowing my head solemnly to the black pavement.

A daisy stuck out of the ground.

She was here. They were here. Must've seen me. A whole city couldn't recognize me but they could within 5 seconds. Just like I knew why she would come here in the first place. Dent's woman. He was lucky he was so devoted to the bitch. Because otherwise I'd probably kill him just for looking at Ivy in a skirt for a living.

But all that didn't matter. She lay in my bed, she saw all my scars, she washed the paint off my face. She was mine.

I shook my head. I couldn't get off track. Had to keep my eyes on The Mayor. My eyes flickered over to a pale hand waving in the crowd. Another elegantly long arm shot out and brought it down.

Let her talk to her little friend, I thought, she won't be much trouble to me soon.

I couldn't believe people did this for a living.

Right, right, right, left right.

Or was it the other way around? Dammit.

I smirked as we stopped marching. We did some weird little turns and pointless movements with the rifles. At one point I was turned. I could pick out Ivy and Daisy immediately, even if they hid everything with a perfection that I couldn't quite match. I wanted to be mad at Ivy for coming here but I just couldn't. She looked at me with concern. I didn't even need to see her eyes to figure that out. The way her mouth was drawn and she fidgeted told me. She must've seen how tired my eyes were. I couldn't sleep that night. Couldn't sleep unless she was there. I just walked around random alleyways, angry and hoping The Batman would find me.

Kill me even.

But of course he wasn't there.

I turned, clacking my heels together ironically. Harvey Dent took the stage, his pretty boy face serious and sad. I hated him. He was a Ken Barbie--tan, white-smiled, and upright.

Everything I wasn't. Mutilated, freakish, slouching. I don't even know why I was the way I was. I just was. It must've happened progressively, eating me up and then spitting me back out.

MONSTER.

Now The Mayor.

GET OUT

Couldn't think about that now. Focus. Had to focus. Had to act fast before the moment flew away.

I raised the rifle swiftly, aiming at The Mayor. A shot. That's all it takes. Screams. I beamed. I wanted to sit back and watch the show, but I had to get out. I dodged through the panic, tuning out the screams and curses of panic, fumbling a few times. I could feel one of the cops try and grab me as I tripped.

Fuck.

I glanced back, ready to do something drastic. But the street below his running feet cracked and crumbled, revealing roots and soil. He tripped, letting out a cry of shock.

I smiled. She'd forgiven me. I knew what she wanted in return and fled quickly, turning into the nearest dark alley without looking back.

Ivy

"RACHEL?" I heard Harvey shout in the distance of the mass confusion. She was safe with me. I'd quickly taken her by the arm as she passed, with Daisy following. She knew immediately it was me. How could she not? I led her into the nearest dark alley, keeping a finger to my lips. Amazingly, the relief that I was now with her overpowered the fear in her eyes. A clatter came from a nearby dumpster and she jumped.

"Just a cat..." I insisted quickly. I knew I didn't have much time. The shock of Gordon being shot would soon settle in and she'd want to find Harvey.

"May..." Rachel hissed suddenly, "Are you going to do it? I can take you away right now. Just tell me where his hideout is and we'll get some cops..."

"No." I said quickly.

She looked at me, shocked, "You want this life? You'll die May! You can't win."

"What is this, Disney?" I replied bitterly, "Look around us, Ray. Where's your prince? Who's your prince? You don't even know. At least I know where mine is. Who mine is. But there are no winners. And we all die. It doesn't matter."

"You can't stay with him.. he'll hurt you." She hissed in a panicky voice, "Come with us. Come with us and we'll get you to another city. A nice one. She can come. May, please."

Rachel's eyes were tearing up again. I shook my head.

"You don't understand."

"What?"

"I love him." I said it. I said it. She cried.

I let go of her, but not without giving her a hug first, "Choose Harvey."

She nodded, wiping her eyes.

"RACHEL? WHERE ARE YOU?"

I gestured for her to go.

Daisy ran over to the dumpster. I stared, shocked, as a pair of arms clad in policeman blue reached out. She hugged him. I walked over. Daisy and The Joker seperated. He smirked up at me, curled up in an awkward position and slumped against the wall.

"Why am I always 'just a cat'?" He asked as Daisy helped him up. He dusted off the uniform and placed the hat on Daisy's head.

I blushed, suddenly remembering what I'd said loud a clear a moment ago, "Honestly I assumed...."

"Assume makes an ass out of you and me," The Joker said sharply, his tone suddenly turning humorous, "Get it? ASS, U, ME?" He giggled as we turned through the maze of alleyways. Daisy clapped her hands and I couldn't help but smile.

Beyond us, screams and sirens whirred.

The Joker whistled, his arm suddenly hanging around my shoulder. Daisy danced and skipped in front of us like a gypsy child.

We lived in our own little world.

We made our own Disney ending to destruction and demise.