plotting to unnerve her

[self_composed]

Bella finds Milliways in the moon palace instead of one of her balconies.

"Huh," she says aloud.

Then, to Alice, Libby, Elena, and Mary, and Lazarus except he autoreplies with a busy message, [Hey folks, Moonstone Palace grew a bar that I don't remember putting in, come check it out.]

Comments

[self_composed]

"Has she," Bella asks innocently, "inspired copybats?"

[manofmyword]

...

He cracks up.

[self_composed]

[manofmyword]

"She did!" he giggles. "They were a riot. Dried up pretty quick after I killed one, though. 'S a shame."

[self_composed]

"Ah. Yes, I'd imagine that would do it."

[manofmyword]

"Never made a dent in her, though."

[self_composed]

"I'm curious," Bella says. "If she disappeared - suppose she died of a heart attack or developed a deadly peanut allergy, all by herself - something boring - would you even bother continuing to terrorize the place?"

[manofmyword]

"Mm... maybe," he says. "Maybe not. I hope she doesn't; it'd break my heart."

The wide-eyed anxious delivery of 'break my heart' is deliberately exaggerated, but that doesn't make the message any less true.

[self_composed]

"So she'd have a reasonable shot at quitting the carnage just by not dressing up as a bat anymore," says Bella. "If you don't know her daytime identity, that'd be all she'd have to do - quit appearing in the bat outfit in a way consistent with her being dead-or-disappeared. And then if it didn't work, she could just 'come back'."

[manofmyword]

He shrugs.

"She doesn't know that. And I bet she thinks getting me locked up solved the problem just fine."

[self_composed]

"Yes, but I mean after you get out. Unless you're planning to dress up like a marmoset to throw her off."

[manofmyword]

He giggles.

"Nah. Anyway, she's not just after me. And say what you like about her, she scared half the crime outta Gotham. The boys wouldn'ta hired me to kill her if she wasn't playing hell with their bottom line."

[self_composed]

"Well, maybe she can get the other half down to reasonable levels while you're put away, and then when you escape she'll have the leeway to retire-slash-fake-her-death," shrugs Bella.

[manofmyword]

"And once she's done that, whos gonna keep 'em down? Besides, she's not the only hot prospect in town. I could have some fun with our shiny new police commissioner, I bet."

[self_composed]

"Fair enough."

[manofmyword]

"What's it like?" he wonders idly. "Dating mini-me."

[self_composed]

"I like it," says Bella. "He sews me dresses. He's snuggly. He makes fascinating faces when in pain."

[manofmyword]

"I'll bet he does."

[self_composed]

"Took some getting used to, but I'm pretty adaptable in some respects."

[manofmyword]

"Do you ever set him on fire?"

[self_composed]

"I have a more all-purpose, sanitary tool for the job."

[manofmyword]

Inquisitively: "Mm?"

[self_composed]

"Magic," says Bella. "Obviously."

[manofmyword]

"Well aren't you sweet."

[self_composed]

"One could say that."