Re: Edge of town
Oh, how Bruce hated the use of our. It implied a link between the two, a common thread, and the last thing he wanted was to share anything with the clown. Even if, loathe as he was to admit, it was their Gotham. Who else knew it like they did, the place they'd left behind? He'd even wondered, in dark moments, if the Joker ever missed that Gotham as much as he did, or if he was incapable of such attachments and adapted to wherever he might find himself, and now it seemed he had his answer; another life. An alternate timeline. It had been left behind, and this Gotham, away from whatever snow-covered town they'd found themselves in, was the only one that mattered.
"No, it isn't here," he agreed, albeit reluctantly. "That Gotham is gone. Despite similarities, this one is not the same." But it was still home, and no matter how well he adjusted here, no matter how close he and his new family came, Bruce would never be able to think of it as anything else. Not that he intended on admitting as much to the Joker, of course.
He watched the other man, cautious, on edge, expecting nothing less than the unexpected even in a place as tranquil as this. To him, the clown had never worn a mask, not like his; he had something to hide, an identity to protect. But beneath the makeup, the Joker was an enigma, nameless, and that was a sort of freedom Bruce could almost envy. Almost, but not quite, because he would never envy a man like him for anything. "So you know," he repeated, the words sounding different on his tongue, in his voice, sharp contrast to the maniacal clown. "So you see. I won't hide from you, and even if you gave me a choice, I would refuse. You don't see or know as much as you think you do."
And then he moved closer, but not close enough. Bruce may have been without his kevlar, and he may have been without his weapons, but he was his most valuable asset; Batman would have been useless had he not learned to hone his own body into the only tool he would ever really need. He remained where he was, moving neither towards the clown nor away, and fixed him with a familiar, steady stare. "You know I can't let you out of my sight," he told him, not that there were many places for one to escape to. The woods, perhaps, but he had no intention of allowing the Joker to make it that far.