Night had fallen over Gotham, stifling and vibrant at the same time. For once, the streets weren't haunted by screams, but by laughter. The streetlights cast a flickering orange glow, illuminating the aisles of the carnival near the old port—a rare glimpse of normalcy in a city where even the clowns are truly scary.

The roller coaster, dubbed "The Gotham Howler," roared overhead.

Dick Grayson, true to form, wore a far too dramatic vampire mask and an even wider grin. He was trying, without much success, to convince Damian to ride with him.

"Come on, little demon, even Batman deserves a thrill now and then!" he said with a wink.

Damian, arms crossed and a murderous look in his eyes, replied immediately: "I'm already getting a thrill from seeing your costume. Public humiliation isn't my jam, Grayson."

A little further away, Barbara was juggling a candy apple and her phone, monitoring the situation with an amused eye from her motorized wheelchair. She occasionally looked up to spot Tim, who had mysteriously vanished into the crowd a good ten minutes ago.

"If he ends up in the illusion tent again just to hack the booth register, I swear…" she murmured with a mock-weary sigh.

Jason, on the other hand, had already won two plush toys—a pink bat and a grotesque mini Joker—after blowing up the target at the shooting range with a satisfied smile. He tossed them unceremoniously toward Stephanie:

"Here, Blondie. To decorate your princess lair."

— "You're only saying that because you're afraid of losing to me, Red Hood," she replied, already ready to challenge him to the next shot.

And amidst all the festive chaos, a shadow loomed over the roof of a churro stand, watching Gotham's most dysfunctional family laugh and bicker under the string lights.

The wind carried the scent of sugar and powder. For once, Gotham's night felt almost like a normal evening. Almost.

Because in the distance, between two lights, a carousel lit up on its own—its squeaky music distorted by the wind. And Bruce Wayne, in the crowd, had just looked up at it with a frown.

Maybe the party wasn't so peaceful after all. 🎡