Re: Forum Shops
The Bat didn't respond, not right away. Pictures on pages and inked words were not an adequate depiction of what someone was truly like, and he took the opportunity to study Harley properly, in a way that comic books didn't allow; her body language spoke volumes, for starters. Though he would never discuss such a thing with her, the truth was that the Bat knew all too well what it was like to be made to feel like an outsider. Ever since he'd arrived in the new Gotham, which seemed to be a mix of his and other versions, he'd been told by nearly everyone he met aside from Alfred that he wasn't who he was. Selina wanted her Bat, and Damian wanted his father-- neither of which, it seemed, he could ever be. Even Jason refused to acknowledge him for who he was. He was not accustomed to having to prove himself, and despite his efforts it seemed he wasn't very good at it.
Maybe it shouldn't have bothered him. None of them existed in his Gotham, after all. The problem, however, was that it did. It hurt, and there was nothing he hated more than that. Better to be alone, he thought, than to have some sort of pseudo-family just out of reach simply because he couldn't help which source he'd come from. He was still Bruce Wayne, still Batman, regardless of what they said. Why, then, should he need their acceptance? The Bat was not good at introspection, and so that question remained unanswered. If he was going to discuss this with anyone, however, it would not be Harley, and so he forced himself to focus on the situation at hand. He still needed to get Caesars back under proper control.
"You know why I'm here. You've had your fun, and now it's time for this to end." His voice was flat, as expressionless as always; he spoke no differently to her than he would anyone else he encountered as the Bat. "Or perhaps you haven't," he added. "You don't seem to be enjoying yourself."