Out of the Belfry, into the Fire

Run about the Burg

"...'The Canadian Boxing Day Riddle' is surely going to go down as one of the most infamous in the career of the Riddler as well as it may become one of the most renown-solved mysteries of Gotham City, but most of all it will be considered another victory for Gotham in the hands of her hero the ever-elusive Batman. With no known casualties directly related to the breakout of Arkham Asylum and only one known severe injury, so far optimism is high, especially with the latest in the Bat-family proving her worth in the capture of the 'Scarface Gang'. Though Mayor Hill has advised that the people of Gotham take extra precaution during the hunt for the rest of Gotham's most notorious criminals..."

"Mrrrmph," groaned Harley coiled tighter than a shrimp on ice under her covers.

Had she really fallen asleep in front of the TV watching cheesy old movies?

Well, morning news spoke for itself as the guy droned on, "...Criminals such as Poison Ivy, the Scarecrow, and Killer Crock are still at large with no comment about leads to their whereabouts by Police Commissioner Gordon, though there are more advisories for the citizens of Gotham to be especially cautious as the New Year celebrations draw near..."

Harley stretched and moaned again as she moved to crawl off the couch and make herself some strong coffee.

"District Attorney Janet Van Dorn has commented that until the Joker has been found the war for Gotham will not be over as he is still the main suspect for the release of the inmates from Arkham Asylum. It has been speculated by some that his silence in the last few weeks is a sign that this battle is his main goal and that it will continue until..."

"Oh, blah, blah, blah," muttered Harley with her blanket still wrapped around her.

Pink shaggy bunny slippers with heart-shaped glasses over their button eyes adorned her feet.

She turned up the thermostat while the coffee started. Her eyes were still barely open enough to see what she was doing; though, after a moment she drew open the binds halfway excepting a little sun. The disappointment in another gray morning did nothing to help her already grumpy mood.

"Even if he did let them all out," she muttered to herself, "he wouldn't do it again. There'd be no joke in it. No pizzazz."

Didn't anyone but Batman and a few people among the Arkham staff understand what following someone's MO pattern meant?

"People..." she grumbled. "And if he did do it, he's probably just lettin' everyone else go first before his own big finale."

She went to the bathroom and freshened up with a shower. For some reason showers did not seem to make her feel clean since the Scarecrow's kidnapping, but she did feel a little better. The coffee cleared up her grogginess too. Lathering raspberry jelly on a nicely toasted waffle also helped bring at least a bit of a smile to her face as she licked some jelly from her lip.

They were talking about the weather now, and she was paying little mind. She rather liked the hum of the television in the background as she had her breakfast. A Clementine finished the deal; though the radiator seemed to be having trouble keeping the apartment warm.

As she brushed her teeth and did her face and hair up for work, she could not help but pause as she gazed into the mirror thoughtfully.

"I wonder if Batman was watching the news from wherever he lives when he's not Batman," she muttered to herself.

Muttering, she realized, was a form of being sane when you had no one to talk to but yourself, and she did feel especially lonely since she had parted with Jonathan Crane.

"Poor Batman," she said.

She had a serious crush on him. It made her feel guilty now as she had not donned her Lunabat cowl since Christmas Eve. She just had not been in the mood. Her heart just had not been in it. In fact, she was beginning to second guess her decision to be Lunabat in the first place.