“So, what’s it like in Gotham? You know your way around?”

“Not really...” He shrugs, glancing down at the ground. “I only go into town when I have to. Otherwise, I’m pretty much stuck here.”

“What? You mean you can’t walk around town if there’s no show?”

“Not exactly. My mother... she doesn’t like me wandering off. I can only go when she sends me for something, or if I ask to go to the library.”

“Library? Jerome, I think I’m going to have to kidnap you.” You grin mischievously, your voice teasing but with a playful sincerity.

He blinks, looking startled. “What? Kidnap?”

“Come on, don’t tell me that you’ve been sitting here all these years, playing the good boy, never breaking a single rule.” Her grin widens. “Don’t you ever want to just... live a little?”

He fidgets, clearly uncomfortable. “My mother doesn’t let me do much. After she found... the animal corpses...” His voice trails off, the memory of that dark incident flashing across his face, a hint of shame in his expression. “She keeps an even tighter leash on me now.”