[ WP ] - Joker seeks vengeance for the death of Batman

*The Batman was dead? Preposterous! * 
 
 The Joker cackled at the absurdity of it all and about how easily Gotham fell into this ridiculous propaganda. What idiot was trying to make a rise to power now? And yet here it all was. How the Batman had been discovered crumpled in front of City Hall. How upon inspection of the body had even determined how Batman could have only defended himself as he was slowly beaten to death by someone better, stronger. How Bruce Wayne ( that raunchy playboy! ) had been the Bat all along. 
 
 But how? 
 
 How could some young upstart just go and kill Ol' Bats? It was just, it was so, it was....funny? * 
 
 **It was n't funny**. 
 
 Years of going at it with Batman, trading wits and physical blows. Years of needing each-other as a mirror in which to understand why they had to continue the game and why it could n't ever stop. Gotham needed the Batman to protect and save and care for it just as it needed him to stir up enough of the good stuff to keep Batman in his job! 
 
 He could n't bring himself to laugh or even smile. The usual rush of thoughts and anger and sadness and hysterics had suddenly slowed down to almost a crawl. Coherency colored all the thoughts in his head to a dull gray and this sensation of numbness was rising from the tips of beautifully painted toenails up into his legs. He was able to think clearly now in this abandoned department store, looking at the newspaper on the ground and holding his emerald green hair in both hands. He could n't just let it end like this, not without one final joke. 
 
 With a snarl, he stood up suddenly and kicked the chair away from him, letting himself focus and channel the rage at it all. He began unbuttoning his jacket and loosened his tie enough to slip over his head. He furiously wiped away the dramatic lipstick he put over his lips. The always far-too-big grin was gone, replaced by hard lines and a slight rumpling of the edges. 
 
 So, the Joker walked around the Department store just picking up a seemingly random assortment of items and dropped them into a broken shopping cart. Spray Paint, Knives, Baseball Bat, Boots, Helmet, saw, hammer, nails, bike tires. 
 
 The sound of working could be heard from the street outside; cutting and tearing, hammering and sharpening. The sound of obsession and the sound of Vengeance being born.
