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

[manofmyword]

"Oh, sweetie," he murmurs. "You sure?"

[self_composed]

"Well," Bella says. "This could be sooner rather than later. But they're fine for right now."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Somehow I don't find that very comforting," says Roberta.



"Yeah, I'm sure," he says. "I want you to fuck me like he fucked me. Like he fucked you."

Because it'll be awful, but right now awful is what he wants. Because he knows that's at least part of what the Joker wants him here for, and he accepts that, he's fine with that, he wants to see what the Joker will make of him.

[manofmyword]

"Mmmkay," he says, kissing Alice's forehead. "Since you asked."

[self_composed]

"Right now Alice is exhibiting the ability to form preferences," Bella says, "and the Joker is exhibiting the ability to abide by them. The fact that the preferences in question are disturbing was never in question. It will not be necessary for you to break down the door until and unless Alice can no longer form or enforce preferences."

[edgeofyourseat]

Roberta frowns.

"If the Joker is pretending to abide by anybody's preferences, it's not for friendly reasons," she says.

[self_composed]

"Oh, I don't trust the Joker as far as I can throw him, and I haven't even bothered adding super-strength, so that would just be aikido trickery if I did decide to throw him," Bella says. "But it doesn't matter whether he's got fucked-up reasons for doing what Alice wants as long as Alice is still in a position to want those things. My problem is that I know less about Alice's psychological tolerances than I do about his physical tolerances and he won't let me check with him conversationally. So if it no longer looks like he wants the things and stays put anyway, while this could go under 'Alice likes things he doesn't like' - it could, he's twisted like that - it could also go under 'Alice does not like things he doesn't like but he's paralyzed'."

[edgeofyourseat]

"You seem to be de facto trusting the Joker not to traumatize your boyfriend," says Roberta. "And I'm not sure I agree. In fact, I'm sure I don't."



Alice shivers. He's frightened, but he likes being frightened, likes the way it makes him want to squirm and hide.

[manofmyword]

The Joker presses Alice down into the bed and drags the knife slowly along his hip, tracing the scar that isn't there.

[edgeofyourseat]

It wasn't slow, the first time. The first time it was fast.

He moans and presses his face into the pillow, wanting wanting wanting.

[self_composed]

"His telepathic answering machine told me to fuck off," Bella says. "However rude that is, it's also clear. I'm only going to ignore him if I'm farther out of my comfort zone than this." She pauses. "On the other hand, if you asked me for a suit right now for what could be unrelated reasons and managed to get his room number from the bar I would not dream of denying such a harmless, trivial request or of interfering with your freedom of movement."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Bar?" says Roberta.

No napkin appears. Roberta sighs. "It was a long shot anyway; there is a specific bar rule forbidding people who are enemies outside the bar from bringing their grudges here."

[manofmyword]

This time it's slow. All of it. The knife, his hand on the back of Alice's neck, his weight pressing Alice into the bed, holding him in place.

This time, it's going to last.

[self_composed]

"I'm surprised the two of you are even here at the same time, then," Bella says, staring into the middle distance glazedly as all her attention is on another channel of vision.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Me too," says Roberta.

As for what's going on in Alice's head: he realizes, for the first time in a while (at least consciously), that Bella is still reading him. On reflection, he's okay with that, although he worries that she won't like what she's about to see. And he's sorry he told her to fuck off, but he's not taking down his busy message; it fucks with his head when she interrupts him in the middle of this stuff, and two people fucking with his head at the same time - only one of whom knows what they are doing, because Bella might be able to read his mind but she's never lived in it - is bound to end badly.

[manofmyword]

"You still here, sweetie?" the Joker murmurs.

[self_composed]

"Well, he's sorry for having told me to fuck off, at least, but he still emphatically doesn't care to be interrupted," Bella sighs.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Do you care about that?" asks Roberta, with no knowledge of whose questions she is echoing.



"Yeah," Alice breathes.

[manofmyword]

"Good," says the Joker.

There's blood all over everything, in his mouth, on his hands, soaking the mattress under both of them. He holds Alice down and slowly, slowly—

[edgeofyourseat]

"Ohhhh, that hurts," says Alice. And it does, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Not now, not this. For what it is, it's perfect.

[self_composed]

"It's his - self. I don't own him," Bella says. "Bleah. I really wish I didn't feel obliged to supervise this, though."

[manofmyword]

"I know it does, sweetie," says the Joker. "And that's how you like it. Mm?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"I'm... not going to advise anyone to take their eyes off the Joker," says Roberta. "Unless he wants you to be watching him. And usually not even then."

Alice hums agreement, even smiles—but there's a part of him that feels wrong for it.

[self_composed]

Bella squirms. "I don't know if he suspects I'm reading Alice, but he should. They haven't discussed it though."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Maybe you should stop," frowns Roberta.