As if silence was his worst enemy, the Joker rambled on through the echoing hallways, his laughter bouncing around us. I couldn't see him through the wall of black in front of me. The guards.
"Where is Doctor Quinzel? I want her right here beside me," the Joker demanded.
I heard Gordon reply, "You're lucky she's continuing to treat you, clown."
"Ahahaha! Very lucky indeed. She's a keeper wouldn't you say, Commissioner?"
"She's a brilliant Doctor who has the unpleasant job of having you in her life. You don't deserve her."
"I don't appreciate your condescending tone ya know, no need to treat me like a child," the Joker moped.
"Well if you're gonna act like one, you're gonna be treated like one," Gordon snapped.
"Would a child rob a bank? Or make dodgy deals with the Mob? Or murder innocent people just for the fun of it? Would they?"
"Enough!" a guard bellowed, lurching forward and punching him in the face. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.
"Pull yourself together son!" Gordon ordered, pulling the young guard away from the Joker. The gap created revealed me to him.
"Ahh, there's my little Harlequin."
But he still looked different. A dead look concealed behind his signature smile.
"I do apologise for the little...hostage situation yesterday, Doc. You are a pawn on a board much larger than you think."
His metaphor seemed irrelevant. But nothing with the Joker was irrelevant.
He licked his lips quickly and laughed. I stepped forward. We were beginning to move again, so I kept next to Gordon.
"So...we're playing chess?" I asked, eyebrows raised.
"Don't listen to him, Harleen. He's talking bullshit."
I glanced at Gordon but ignored him.
"Chesssss?" the Joker smirked, letting the word sizzle on his lips.
"Mmm. You like chess?"
"Oh, very much Harls. I do."
He studied me questionably.
"But I'm just a pawn?"
"Hmm...shadows and reflections, Harley."
"Can we save the flirting until the session actually begins?" Crane requested, sounding bored. We had reached the elevator and he was at the front of the group, his hands in the pockets of his suit and his shoulders slumped.
"Shouldn't you be wearing a lab coat, Doctor Crane? It's kind of uniform policy," I said condescendingly. I saw him tense up, but he turned to me with a fake smile.
"Of course, Doctor Quinzel. It's in your office," he sneered. To the people surrounding us who were not in the know of my promotion, this sounded suggestive.
"Well, it's of no use to you in there, is it? Why don't you go and collect it then see to your patients, I think I can take it from here."
I heard a few muffled sniggers from behind me. Crane pursed his lips but pushed through the guards and headed back along the hall. Gordon coughed to keep from laughing.
"Not all of us will fit," I noted, turning to the guards, "can two of you accompany us in the lift and the rest take the stairs?"
A man and a woman stepped forward to volunteer. I turned to Gordon.
