(Don't Fear) The Scarecrow

Sometime Around Midnight [Part 1]

The Iceberg Lounge was busy. Dim lights cast a soft glow over the crowd of people, the air full of their mutterings and the sounds of music coming from the live band. The mood was quiet, subdued, but Penguin liked it that way, so that's the way it stayed. On the rare occurrence when the place would get rowdy, it was only due to some private party someone had booked. Now however, it was to the public, or at least part of it, so that meant reserved, dignified. A place where Gotham's underground elite could be without cause of concern.

Dr. Jonathan Crane, a man looking to be around his late 30s, with dark slightly wavy hair and wire rimmed square glasses, was standing at the bar nursing a glass of wine. He was not a man so whose pride could be easily hurt, but in this instance, having his own Fear Toxin used against him by none other than the Batman, it was. The first time it happened was easy to shrug off. It happened; so what. That was behind him. The second time however... At least he got away this time and not thrown in Arkham.

One of Crane's greatest assets was his ability to mask he emotions. There was a time when he didn't have to, but now within the realm of villainy and crime, it was a necessity. Even an ex psychologist such as himself could find something alluring like this. Crane's talent of reading people and understanding their motives and tendencies had greatly helped him on several different occasions.

Psychology was an interesting subject, more so than those who practiced the craft, though they often warranted as much attention. It was because of books like Hannibal that caused to public to become wary about the very idea of a psychiatrist (though Crane had read the series several times and quite enjoyed it), and particularly in Gotham people were even more so. Crane had heard nearly no one trusted the psychiatrists inside Arkham anymore. Not after he and the other rogue, Harley Quinn. It was because of poor little Harleen Quinzel falling for the Joker that the Asylum didn't trust the female psychiatrists to be around male patients, and if you had an odd obsession with something suspicious? Forget it, you were either kicked out and without a job, or not even hired. Their fear was one thing Crane could feel satisfied about, knowing he still had such an effect on them.

A smirk played on his lips at the thought and he took another sip of his wine. The smirk slipped away as he noticed Two-Face and Riddler making their way towards him. He did not want to deal with them tonight. He elected to ignore the pair, in hopes they would leave him alone; no such luck.

"Fancy seeing you here," Harvey said, settling down in one of the many black leather stools set in front of the bar.

Crane took another, longer, sip of his drink and blalently ignored Harvey and Edward. Couldn't they just leave him alone?

"What do you want?" he asked finally, setting his drink down and giving the pair an irritated look.

"We just finished up with a job and thought we'd celebrate," Harvey said. The younger redhead standing next to him nodded. "Though we're quite surprised to see you here as well."

"It shouldn't be surprising," Crane said, eyes flicking to the wall behind the bar. "I come here often when I can."

"What brought you here tonight?" Harvey asked. Crane suppressed the urge to tell the other man to shut up. He hated dealing with people like this.

"I don't have to tell you my business," Crane replied, fixing Harvey with a piercing gaze.

"You're one cold bastard," Harvey said, shaking his head. Shadows crossed the ruined side of his face. Harvey had gotten the name Two-Face long before the accident that landed him with his scars. Politicians where known to be ruthless, even more so in a place as corrupt as Gotham. The name fit the other man though, especially now.

"I aim to please," Crane said in a bored voice. He finished his glass of wine and motioned for the bartender to get him another.

"I don't get it," Harvey said suddenly.

"What?" Crane asked, picking up on Edwards' current attitude. The normally skittish redhead was even more weary than usual, though it was a much different face he showed to teh public as the Riddler. It was interesting how being in different settings could so easily change the personality and attitude of a person.

"I never get how you can easily wear that," Harvey said, motioning to what Crane was wearing.

Crane looked down and saw nothing of particular interest in what he was wearing. It was what he usually wore when not being Scarecrow, black suit and tie with a pair of simple brown shoes and white socks. What joke was Harvey getting at?

"I don't see anything wrong with what I'm wearing," Crane said, eyeing Harvey distastefully.

He was one to talk about dressing weird, and while Edward at least had to grace to dress in green (though Crane still wondered about the intelligence of that particular idea), Harvey was a completely different matter. He'd embraced the whole idea of being Two-Face so he now wore custom made suits to go along with the whole aesthetic. This meant of course that one side of the suit was a normal color, while the other side was more outlandish and eye catching; not in a good way. The one he was wearing right now was particularly an eyesore. While the right was a rather nice (not to mention normal) color of gray, the left... Salmon and teal; checkered. It made Crane's eyes hurt after looking at it for a few seconds.

Turning away from the god awful sight, Crane took his new glass of wine from the bartender with a nod.

"All I'm saying," Harvey said, "is that you need some color in your life! Everyone has some sort of thing keeping them apart from the others, and by thing I mean a sort of color scheme or you know, something different! You're just a plain Jane. No fun at all, am I right?"

He looked at Edward who gave a nod, "Quite true. Tell me, I am seen in the water and if seen in the sky, I am in the rainbow, A jay's feather, and lapis lazuli."

"You're lacking, Edward," Crane said, "the answer is the color blue. Everyone knows lapis lazuli is blue."

"I think what Edward is getting at," Harvey said, "is you need some color in your life. You're so plain, it's boring."

"It's the simple things that can lead to unexpected fear," Crane said taking a drink. He was going to end up drunk if these two stayed here any longer, and he did not want that. He hated losing control, especially over his own mind and body. "If I'm inconspicuous then no one will see me coming, and that makes their fear all the more satisfying."

"You sound like one of those old creeps who have a fetish for certain things," Harvey remarked. "Hey, that would explain a lot of things, do you have a thing for people trembling in fear? Does it get you-"

"Harvey," Edward said, face slightly pink, "do stop."

"What?" Harvey asked, looking at Edward in surprise. "We're all adults here."

"You really don't talk about people's habits, or their sex life, especially not in a public setting."

"I was just asking a question," Harvey said shrugging his shoulders, "I mean there's nothing wrong with that. I thought you liked finding out new information..."

Crane tuned the two out and studied the lounge. The low ended couches and tables that made up a portion of the main floor were packed with patrons eating, drinking, and talking. Farther into the gloom, booths were set up against the wall, for people to eat, or do... other things. Penguin was particularly nit picky with the decency in his club, but the number of times Crane had heard something even remotely questionable brought up many other things he'd rather not want to think about.

A flash of white came from the corner of his eye, and Crane turned, expecting it to be some light coming from the stage where a small band was playing. Instead it was something else. Crane froze, and gripped the stem of his wine glass so hard that it snapped, spilling the wine all over his front, the glass shattering on the floor.