There’s blood on the side of the warehouse. It’s not his, this time. Thankfully, it’s just a low level thug who thought it would be a good idea to shoot at him. Jason makes his way further into the warehouse and looks around. What should’ve been swarming with goons was dead silent. He swore he could hear the squeaks of whatever rodent came in to get out of the snow that had blanketed the city.

There was writing on the walls. Nonsensical and jagged, like the writing that was on the walls of the warehouse Jason died in. It’s a given. This one was the Joker’s main base for a while. The moonlight that spilled through the overhead windows made shadows dance across the wall. If he looked hard enough, he swore he could see an arm swinging down with a crowbar. This place has been abandoned for a few weeks, based on the level of destruction. Joker obviously thought the snow could hide whatever evil he was doing here. He calls himself an evil mastermind and then he thinks snow will wash away his crimes. How stupid.

Jason was almost done searching when he finds a hidden room. He had leaned on a wall so he could stretch when it gave way. He fell into the room of a… teenager? It was well decorated for a guy who didn’t seem to have any love in his heart. Jason looked around thoroughly and decided this place must be abandoned too. He started to leave before a small sound coming from the far wall made him freeze. He slowly turned, but there was nothing there. He started to leave again and heard the same noise. He decided he’d check it out, make sure no one was in trouble, before leaving.

He checked the wall and it gave way again, just like the other one. This wall gave way to reveal a teen standing there with a knife in their hand. They saw Jason and immediately bolted into the darkness. Jason cursed silently and gave chase. It didn’t take long for him to catch them due to the size difference. He pinned them against a wall and immobilized their legs. They had the same appearance as the Joker, toxic green hair and pasty white skin. It was like looking at a mini-him. The only difference he could see was fear in their eyes. The Joker never showed his fear. He was too insane to feel it.

He tried to question them, but nothing seemed to get through. He deemed them too scared and decided to take them back to a safehouse. They were young and didn’t seem to be cared for. He reached into his belt to grab some handcuffs when they headbutted him and squirmed out of his grasp. They ran before he could grab them again and disappeared into a crack in the wall. He would’ve followed if the crack was bigger, but he knew he couldn't so he let them go and took the loss. He blew the warehouse up after a thorough search and called it a night.

The seasons changed, as they always do, and the little bits of grass that managed to live despite the pollution were growing again. Jason found himself thinking about that kid yet again, the one from the warehouse. He knows it’s irrational. They probably left Gotham or died from the harsh winter, but he couldn’t help but wonder what had actually happened.

The soft spring breeze of the night washes over him while he munches on a burger. It was a quiet night and he was hungry. There are others out if anything happens, anyway. He was almost done and was going to call it a night when he saw a flash of green scurry into an alley. It was too small and quiet to be the Joker, so his mind went to the next best option, the kid he saw. He sighed, finished his burger in two bites, and dropped into the alley. He went towards the dumpster he saw the green hair run towards and peered over the edge. Inside, he saw the teen rummaging around, looking for something.

“What are you doing?” He speaks loud enough for them to hear. They startle and whirl to face him, consequently hitting their head. They fall onto their back and hold the spot they hit. Jason sighs and reaches a hand out. “That’s gonna look pretty nasty soon. Why don’t you let me stitch it up while you tell me why you were in that warehouse last winter. Fair trade?”