Re: Forum Shops
While the Bat harbored a great deal of guilt for various reasons, he was a strong advocate of individual responsibility. He did not shoulder the blame for the way men like the Joker were, at least not him personally, though he had to admit that in some instances (like that of Jason Todd) his comic book counterpart had made poor choices which may had indirectly led down certain paths. Still, everyone had a choice, and everyone had the potential to change. Whether or not they chose to do so was their decision, not his.
Oh, he took note of her bitterness, which lined up with what he already knew about her. Without the Joker, Harley hardly posed a threat at all. She must have felt out of place between Selina and Ivy, even though the former wasn't quite a villain; they were both independent, not needing to rely on someone else to complete their persona for them. "She's otherwise occupied, or so I'm told," he said. "Where she is now is irrelevant. I will find them both sooner or later." Ivy did not frighten him. He knew better than to underestimate her, of course, but there were those who worried him far more.
Contrary to popular belief, the Bat would have vastly preferred to help his adversaries if they were genuinely willing to accept it rather than continue on in an endless battle for eternity. His goal, however far-off and unattainable, was to eliminate crime, and he did believe that reformation was possible. He knew better than to attempt to convince Harley of such, however, at least outright. "No, Harley. It isn't a break. I want to know why you're here, allowing yourself to be treated as a pet and going along with a plan which clearly wasn't yours to begin with." In the distance, he caught sight of a pair of guards cutting a path through the crowd towards them, but he gave no outward sign that he'd seen them at all. "Catwoman and Ivy knew I would come, and yet they left you on your own regardless."