Blank Slate

Chapter 1

Tulip Caulfield, or more commonly known as The Trickster had recently been given the privilege of being by herself. Meaning she could leave the Tower whenever she pleased. She took that freedom and privilege with stride, she'd go out early in the mornings and learn the streets of her brand new city.

It was a morning just like any other, Tulip had awoken at 5:00am initially to take her medication with Dick in the kitchen. The same as she did every day. But after watching him shuffle off back to bed to join his lovers, she scurried off into her own bedroom.

She decided to take the day off. More or less. She still planned on fitting in her morning workout, it was the first thing she did after Dick went back to bed. She'd grown into the habit of doing this almost every morning. Tulip dragged her tired form into the training room. The only thing she brought with her was her phone. Her music was pouring out from its speakers as she lugged all over equipment over for her workout. Somehow she didn't wake anyone up with the loud music. Trashy pop blasted from the speakers.

She didn't spend any longer than needed inside the gym. As soon as it hit 7:00 she was out the door and back on her way to her room. It was time for the most sacred part of her day. The morning shower. It seemed that every shower she took was an 'everything' shower. The lights were low as she stepped into her bathroom. She turned the dial, steam filled the room soon after and raised along to the vents above. Her morning shower felt as lavish as it did every day. After over a year inside Arkham Asylum, she learned to appreciate a lot of things she used to take for granted. Such as strawberry scented soap. It was like every morning in this tower, she chipped away a little rock on her shoulder. She was bettering herself and starting over.

A clean slate.

By the time the heat in the room became nearly unbearable, she finally shut the water off. She was snuggly wrapped up in her bathrobe as she made her way to the closet. As fun as it was, this was quite possibly the hardest part. What to wear? What could she possibly wear that would reflect her mood perfectly? What would be comfortable enough and practical enough for the kind of life she lived? It was never an easy task.

It felt like a ceremonial task, the way she intricately laid out her outfits on top of the unmade bed she'd earlier been sleeping in. She'd laid them out and cross referenced them, trying to find the best match. After being abruptly taken to the other side of the country, her closet was brand new. The only thing she'd kept from her old life was two sets of an Arkham uniform. Something she never wanted to wear again. She was starting from scratch, it took her almost an hour but she finally settled on one.

She continued along in her routine. Tulip used to be infamous for the colorful makeup she intricately put on. She spent years running with the clowns and being apart of the crew. She was always ready to put on a show. Today was no different. She took careful time and approach and finally, she was ready to leave her room. It felt like a leap of faith every morning, stepping out of her peaceful hideaway.

But still. She grabbed her phone and wallet off the counter and threw it into her bag. It was time to hit the road. She had a bright morning ahead of her. The girl couldn't help the smile on her face as she walked out of her room. She marched right through the tower to the main exit.

As she passed the main kitchen and living room, she tried to ignore the stirring people. She wouldn't get off that easy though.

It was Hank who stood at the counter alongside Dawn. Both of their gazes fixated on her. The man looked perplexed, staring at her. Here she was, dressed and dolled up and meanwhile he hadn't even taken the first sip of his coffee yet. His girlfriend, Dawn stood beside him with a knowing smile. No doubt she hadn't divulged Tulips secret. Dawn was known to keep a good secret or two.