Halloween: Trick or Treat

[ha_in_havoc]

The Scarecrow set him free and for that, the Joker is grateful enough to play along with his games. He could just lay low for a couple days and let the law and Batman chase Crane down tonight. Let that nut get himself caught and then make a move. He's been buttered up with presents and provided with a little amusement, though, so he'll help cause a

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[notatvcharacter]

McCoy was less of a mess than most people would be in a similar position.

(Said position being: known by the Joker by name, and having repeatedly insulted and humiliated him over the course of a number of months.)

He was anxious, yes. Suddenly painfully aware of the security inadequacies of his home and on his person. And yes, maybe, he was afraid, as much as he'd like to state otherwise. But he was doing his best to be aware of that fear, and not let it run away from him. Not panic. Not be stupid. If Johnny Doe decided to go after him, to pay him back for his treatment or just to have some fun, it would happen whether he was afraid or not. It was all a matter of how much of a fool he made of himself, in the process

[ha_in_havoc]

It seems like the longest wait possible, even though he's busy all the while. The Joker hates that he sent others out to fetch Luke for him, but there's just too much to get done. He's glad when Luke is finally delivered to him and all in one piece. The man is still unconscious and there's just so little time to enjoy this. That's so sad.

He has Luke taken to his 'room' and they're left alone there. He kneels in front of the doctor and goes about the task of duct-taping the doctor's wrists together, tapping his cheeks to rouse him. There's a mask strapped over Luke's face already, feeding him a slow stream of nitrousoxide.
"Wakey wakey, doc."

The space they're in smells of somewhere that's served as a home to vagrants and animals. There are rat chewed boxes of spun sugar in the corner of the storage room and no windows. The fluorescent light over head flickers in no steady pattern.

[notatvcharacter]

The light slaps to his cheeks wake him, bring him back to consciousness with not nearly as much of a headache as he would have expected from his last experience with feat toxin, and he registers the hiss of the rebreather, the smell of the room even through the mask and the sweetish smell of the nitrous flowing through it. Then the voice...

He opens his eyes, to that.

Oh, that's not good, he thinks, but can't quite dredge up real concern. He just meets the Joker's eyes, straight on and steady, and doesn't quite manage to keep a stupid smile off his face.

"Mr. Doe."

[edsidlemirth]

If nothing else, Eddie is well-connected, even in Arkham. It doesn't take long before he's sending texts to Luke's phone.

???

[ha_in_havoc]

The dopey grin of too long breathing nitrous is enough to get a laugh out of the Joker when Like comes around.

"Good to see you're in a better mood, now..."
He sits down with Luke on the thin mattress set atop crates. They're such good friends, after all.
"I got tired or Arkham, but ah..I could still use your expertise."

The buzz of Luke's phone makes him arch a brow.
"Ohhh. Aren't you popular. ... May I?"
He'll just find that for you, Luke. Might take some feeling around.

[notatvcharacter]

Believe you him, he'd like to wipe it off his face. Doesn't seem to be happening, though. God damn it.

"Could you?"

Then his phone rings, and God damn, whoever's calling him... texting him...? is in for it. Mind you, he'd still trade place with them. They, at least, aren't getting felt up by a homicidal clown.

"Hey. Hey. Dinner first."

...heh. He made a joke.

[ha_in_havoc]

He could, in fact. Would Luke rather not be useful to the Joker? Because with their 'relationship', to this point, he might want to show him special attention either way. That attention could just be more immediately violent.

He hums as he feels around for the phone, then finally pulls it from Luke's pocket. He laughs at the doctor's joke and musses the man's hair for actually making one.

"Hmmmm. Not very wordy."
He holds up the phone to show Luke the question marks.
"Who's the number?"

[notatvcharacter]

Luke looks up at the hand in his hair, surprise obvious on his face. Must be the gloves. Helping with physical contact. And that it's on his terms...

...oh, he's being asked something. Shown the phone. Hmm. Oh, yeah.

"That'd be Mr. Nigma. Boy's got a hell of a sense of timing," he observes pleasantly.

[ha_in_havoc]

The gloves make all the difference in the world, doctor. That, and that he's hoping to make Luke uncomfortable. An eye for an eye, as it were.

"Oh, Eddie."
The Joker's not surprised by the answer. It's what he suspected. He hunches over the phone and goes about texting back a response. On top of not being as coordinated with one hand as he could be, he's also clearly not very well versed in texting in general. It's not all that hard though.

'sorry eddie. doc is busy. call some1 else.'

[edsidlemirth]

The response is nearly immediate. He is much better at typing with tiny, tiny buttons.

not all your people are going to keep your location secret

[notatvcharacter]

It'll take more than a hair-tousling to really trouble Luke right now, what with all this gas in his system. With his concern for his own life and limb dulled, here, he's really mostly just getting some interesting observations out of the whole thing, observations he won't really be able to remember later.

He watches the Joker type a reply back to Mr. Nigma, and get a reply in return. Tugging at the tape on his hands, he tries to lean forward to see what's being said. Not that it'll work, at all.

[ha_in_havoc]

Aww. Poor Luke. He wants to see? The Joker leans over a little and tilts the phone so he can see the screen, too. He giggles as if there's a joke in there that they should both enjoy. Mostly, he just finds Eddie's idle threat amusing.

"Do you think he's ...ah... gonna come get me? Find me by questioning my staff from his padded cell? Ooooooh."

Typing again for a moment.

'my people? most wont survive 2 tell. the rest will b 2 broken 2 talk'

He waves the phone in front of Luke.
"I'm going to have to keep this. You understand, of course."

[edsidlemirth]

If my doctor falls into either of those categories, I'll show you the benefits of employing competent individuals. I know it doesn't impress you, but you know I can ruin your fun.

[notatvcharacter]

Luke can't really shrug at the confiscation of the phone. But he would if he could. Phone? Who cares? "You'd be a damn fool not to."

This is really starting to get frustrating. Or it would, if he could... get frustrated. He'll have to get to that later, along with the cursing, the panic, and the escape plans.

"He's a smart boy. He could shoot you in the head again," Luke provides helpfully. "And then I'd have to clean up the mess, 'less you made a mess of me first. You know this stuff eats little holes in your brain, right? Olney's lesions."

[ha_in_havoc]

"Pfft"
Audible responses to text messages are highly ineffective, really.

The Joker gives Luke a look that says 'you can't be fucking serious', then shakes his head slowly. Poor, slow, gassed up Luke.
"Unfortunately, Eddie is very sick. Somehow, the idea of him escaping, finding me, and shooting first? ...I ah..I'm just not very afraid."

He turns the valve on the nitrous, shutting it off, and lifts the mask off of Luke's head. It will take a little bit for the doctor's head to clear. The guard he leaves for the man can deal with him lucid.
"Wouldn't want to hurt your brain."
He was going to do that before he left anyway.

Now..back to this stupid typing business.
'i gave u a chance and u took it. i was impressed. u dont get another free shot. do u know i can ruin your life from out here? where your friends are.'

[edsidlemirth]

I know where my friends are, too. Inconvenience me and I will inconvenience you. That's pretty simple to understand, even if you think you have any power to ruin my life.