The Joker And The Fool

7.(1) Fools can be kings

7.1 unexpected guests

If there was one thing clear it was that Diana trusted Penguin not for his judgement, not for his wits nor for his abilities. She would learn that there was one grave mistake about his ways: he deemed his responsibilities too important. Before the Penguin there had never been talk of a 'leader' to their group. It was he who introduced that there was only one man in charge. Falcone, he had been much smarter than that. He had acted behind the cover of curtains. The Penguin had a habit of forcing his opinion upon others. His will was law. If there was one thing that men like them could not subside to: it were to be forced to think or act in any way by anyone.

There had never presented her an opportunity to strike him from his position. Then again, she doubted if it were the right time to attack him. She remembered a time in which she had persuaded Roman of Penguin's failure. Though she could hardly recall whether she truly believed it at that time. Besides that, did she not know whether she fully understood his role. Thus, she did not know how she would have to act in his part. She did not want to rush into unwise decisions, like Penguin had done. For the moment she enjoyed what humble power she had. She was right, she was not looking for much praise, she was not looking for eternal glory nor justification of any believe, she was just trying to distract her mind. For she realised that the time had come of which John had always warned her. She started to miss him. She did not know what she missed nor why she missed him, but she knew that there was something missing. Perhaps it were the fact that she had fallen back to a much humbler existence. There was no more use for the use of drugs, unneeded violence or any other sort of things that brought her satisfaction. She had learned to act professionally.

But the most important thing was that she had learned to fend for nobody but herself. She was not in second place anymore. And for that reason, did she occupy her with things that she found important or interesting. Even if it went against principles of her peers. For she had learned from Falcone to act in the shadows, and that she did. she was a very conscientious person. She had always been prepared for every possible situation.

So, when she was contacted by the Batman one day, she did not hesitate to make some sort of agreement. She delivered him as much information as she wanted him to have. This secret agreement, however, did not mean that they shared a friendship.

Diana had once even spied for him, she had been in several clubs while she was wired, not that she cared for the purpose of his bidding. She merely wanted Bruce to believe that there was a part in her that was helpful and perhaps even good. Why? Perhaps it was simply because she wanted to manipulate him, like Falcone had manipulated the police. Or perhaps, against all odds, was she human after all.

In the hallway of Roman's  apartment stood now two perfectly finished masks, one in black the other red. Not that anyone had worn these masks, especially not she herself. She had liked the idea of making the mask yet could not be able to wear it herself. Zsasz had worn Roman's old mask sometimes, he felt as if it was the respectful thing to do towards his friend, to continue the image of the 'Black Mask'. Diana truly cared not. She simply wanted them to be used. Or perhaps sold. She had thought on selling the masks to some of her rich acquaintances. She liked the thought of those small-minded people, finding art in such gruesomeness. But she had not, not yet. For now, they were but mere decorations to her home. And the thought of it being there was not at all unsettling to her. It was a sign that her right to rule was just.

Diana had always maintained a close relationship to her late colleague and friend doctor Charlie James Swan. For a certain period of time, she would come to have dinner with Charlie and his family on Sundays, right before she visited Penguin in the Iceberg lounge. Most always the conversation with Swan would turn to latent interests and professionally biased talk. Charlie had owed much to his career's success to Diana. Besides, sometimes she tended to pay him well in return for a favour. Their friendship was not based on feelings for one another but for the sake of their knowledge. Because of Charlie Diana was able to expand her field to both the scientific, as physical world. Which begged the question of what she truly was. Was she a criminal? Was she a thief and a liar? Or was she an academic? Perhaps she was all at once. If anything, this dualism had called for a certain pair of eyes with a certain point of view to look in her direction. And these eyes looked closely and most all the time.