Home. Where exactly is home? Surely it's not that old facility with her father and sisters; she dreaded every second she spent in there. Was it with Roy and Jade, in their cosy little apartment she's been living in for the past few years? Sure, Venus likes them enough, but they make her feel so lonely. Like they're just so happy. And, she feels like they just feel obliged to put up with her, especially considering she and Jade are the last survivors of her father's experiment. She definitely doesn't feel at home in the Wayne Manor, the magnificent palace she once found sanctuary in. If places could be strangers, the Manor would be one; a friend she once knew.
Venus doesn't really have a place of comfort and safety, despite jumping around homes whenever she felt like it. She came and went as she pleased; staying at the Manor every other week, sleeping in Jade's apartment when she needed a friend, or crashing at Dick's place because she felt like it.
So supposedly, Venus has many homes. They say home is where the heart is, but her heart is six feet underground. And how can she possibly get it back?
She let Dick and Bruce take her back to the Manor, mood souring as she got into the Batmobile. Her mood worsened when she sat down on the plush sofa in the living room, Dick settling next to her. Bruce sat on the armchair across from the two, leaning forward with his hands on his knees.
It was silent for a few moments before Venus spoke, voice crackling. "Why am I here?"
"Venus, you tried to kill someone," Bruce reasoned calmly, crossing his legs. "I just want to make sure you're okay. That you don't fall back into old habits."
She paused, gripping the pillow in her lap. It's not like she enjoyed killing people. But she was programed, built to kill, how can a habit die when it's been engraved so deeply into her brain?
"Mm. Won't happen again," Venus muttered, feverishly picking at her skin. She glanced up at the ceiling, half wishing it would crumble on her.
"I'm worried about you, Venus. You seem rather unhappy," Bruce mused, observing her.
Venus rolled her eyes and gripped the pillow harder, anger bubbling. "Oh, I wonder why."
"You're not coping at all though," Dick added. "It's like you're purposely avoiding what happened and acting out sporadically."
His voice softened as he touched her hand. "We just want to see you happy again."
Her brows furrowed and she squeezed her eyes shut. Does she really deserve to be happy, though? People like her don't get happy endings, she made sure of that when she left her family to die. People like them don't deserve happiness. Maybe that's why he's dead; a punishment from the universe, karma finally catching up to her. It was only a matter of time, she supposed. Its as only a matter of time before she was punished, before she was reminded once again to never get comfortable. To never let her guard down.
She quickly pulled her hand away and scowled. "Then what else am I supposed to do? Joker needs to be punished, not locked up!"
"Trust me, I know," Bruce said, running his hands through his hair. "He'll be taken to Blackgate Penitentiary, Wing F. He'll die there, Venus. It's over."
Venus leaned back, not sure of what she's feeling. Yes, justice was served, not in the way she'd like, but it's done. She's spent the past few weeks planning out her revenge, scouting the city for the Joker. She's been busy, so what is she supposed to do now?
"I think it's best if you took a break from patrolling, too. Just be a normal person for a while," Bruce explained, looking at her sympathetically.
