Just Paint Your Face

"She heals up quick, huh?" The Joker watched Daisy skipping as we strode along the alley. I nodded in response. She was like a little rag doll. Our little mime. She defied injuries to the head silently and danced away from death gracefully.

"Hey kid. Uh, kid, you been taking your medicine?"

Daisy turned and smiled, nodding.

He paused suddenly, "...Radioshack just around the corner here..."

I scowled at him in disbelief, "Jack, they're out looking for us. And what the hell do you want with Radioshack?"

"Just something. Something little."

I knew there was no use arguing with him as he turned the corner whistling. Fortunately, in the panic, there only stood a kid manning the cash register, iPod in hand. He hardly looked up as The Joker passed. He merely wrinkled his nose, probably smelling his strong gasoline/gunpowder/rain smell.

"Where, uh, do you keep the stereos?" He asked.

The young man waved him off in the direction of the back of the store. The Joker waved Daisy along and they disappeared for a bit. The boy was bobbing his head to some obnoxious rap song and totally oblivious to the world around him, totally oblivious to the newsreel that played right in front of him on a wall of TVs.

The Joker returned, setting the box on the counter.

"Didn't have a price." He said simply.

The kid scanned the box and looked up then. The Joker grinned brightly, the scars on his face scrunching.

"Hiiii." He said in that awkward, gruff way.

The kid dropped his iPod, eyes flitting over in disbelief at Daisy and myself, then at the TVs behind him.

The kid held his hands up, "Just take it, man. Shit. Ju-Just don't kill me. Please, man. Oh god. Use the gun. Please. Don't use--"

"What, this?" The Joker reached into his pocket, producing his switchblade and smiling slyly. The kid stood, frozen and shaking. The Joker reached into his other pocket now, producing a large wad of cash with his white gloved hand.

He threw it on the counter and took up his purchase, "Have a nice day." He called.

I waved politely and Daisy bowed.

We returned to the warehouse with no trouble. Happy saw us as we entered the basement.

"Boss is back!" He called excitedly.

Grumpy took the box from him as Goofy high fived Daisy in a greeting.

"Come on, Mime. We'll set this up for ya."

When we got to the bedroom, I shed off my hat and sunglasses. My hair seemed to appreciate its freedom. I glanced back at The Joker, who was shedding off the Policeman's uniform.

I faked disappointment, "And you looked so handsome in uniform...."

He sneered, "Handsome."

He stood in nothing but his high-priced boxers, staring down at his mutilated body and up at the red message on the wall.

"Monster." He whispered.

I didn't know what to say. If I argued, he wouldn't believe me. If I agreed, I would feel ashamed and wouldn't believe myself.

He took up his usual outfit, which he'd hid in some abandoned building that we stopped by on the way back. He pulled up his purple trousers, tucked in the lighter patterned shirt and tie. After he donned the vest and jacket, he went over to the sink, grabbing up his bag of make up.

He stopped to look at me for a few moments, hand reaching out and stroking my face, my lips, my hair. His eyes caught the bandage around my arm and lingered for a few moments. Something was in his face that I couldn't quite read.

"I'm out." He said quickly and turned toward the door.

"Wait..." I rushed and followed behind him. Where was he going? He just got back, why would he want to leave again?

"I'll be back tonight." He called simply to Daisy and me, who was now beside me, a question on her face.

"I don't know." I said to Daisy, "He came back for 15 minutes and he leaves. Story of my life."

Goofy called from behind us, where faint music was playing, "He does that sometimes. When he gets moody and knows he can't waste no more men."

Daisy gave a reassuring smile. We occupied ourselves with music for a while.

At night, the TV broke. Two of the men had scuffled and somehow it got smashed to bits. I killed the two idiots. So much for not wasting men.

And in the morning, I woke alone. I'd been tossing and turning the whole night. My ivy clung to the pillow next to me.

The next day was the same. We were going crazy. Daisy refused to shut the stereo off.

My plants were wilting. Daisy spent the day writing on the wall in the hallway in her green sharpie, like she was babbling lyrics. I'd been making sure she would take her medicine, but other than that she would not communicate with me. Poor thing felt guilty. I'd washed the message in lipstick off the wall, but the moment was ingrained in her bandaged head.

look out kid, it's something you did. i wrote it. can't take it back. you better duck down the alleyway, looking for a new friend. cosette and fantine are here. where's jean valjean? face full of black soot. orders from the D.A. looking for an honest man? he left. left in his crazy socks. no eggs for me. shriveled smile. knife artist. paint it red. REDRUM. MURDER. REDRUM. MURDER. he doesn't like rum, but boy, does he love the murder.

By the fourth day, her writing trailed off into scribbles. Goofy and Grumpy were whispering worriedly.

On the morning of the fifth day, I woke up, my hair a scraggly hanging mess around my face. My plants were dying. I was sure he was dead. But I wouldn't know. The TV was broken. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the dinky little shower thing. I stared at the water. What was the point. I stared at myself in the mirror. My green eyes stared back, tired, desperate, and insane.

I walked down the hall, reading Daisy's poetry.

knife artist. paint it red. REDRUM. MURDER.

I went into the kitchen, stared at the little kitchen knife on the makeshift counter. I took it in my shaking hands and shuffled back to the bathroom. I stared in the mirror, pulling at my face.

He wasn't coming back.

He just fucked and ran.

Or died.

"If I can't have you back, that's okay," I heard myself babbling, "that's okay. That's okay. Just gotta remember you, remember you, that's all..." I took the knife to my mouth, resting it against a corner of my lip, ready to pull back.

I gasped as a purple hand appeared in the mirror and plucked it out of my hand.

"Ah ah. No, no, no. That's my thing."

I whirled on him, hitting him and hugging him at the same time.

"You said you'd be back! I went crazy. Daisy went crazy! You said..."

"Sh, sh, sh." He said, "Got a little carried away. Had to lay low for awhile."

He sniffed, "Whoo. You stink."

I giggled. He took my black shirt off, smirking and licking his lip greedily.

"You take a shower. Happy went to get a new TV. And uh, Ivy?"

"Yes?" I called as he walked over to the little door, tugging at his tie.

"Don't bother getting dressed."

I smiled. He was back to his old self. Whatever that was.