Whats The Fun In Being Sane?(Benjamin)

[The Joker]

It was a rainy day, one that could even make a clown frown, but this wasn't any usual clown, he always kept a smile on his face even through the worst of conditions. He looked out the window, not that being inside protected him much from the rain. Being who he was it was difficult renting a hotel room or buying a house, so he found himself in some old run down building that nobody wanted whenever he wasn't out and about.

He was the only one in the rundown building, of course he had a gang of clowns to help him brighten up the dreary Gotham, but they were out doing their little jobs, probably getting squashed by the Batman, he seemed to enjoy the sad atmosphere of Gotham. This didn't stop him, he had ways of making people laugh even if they didn't want to, he had his methods.

He turned away from the window, turning towards the man tied up in a chair, water dripping onto him due to the rain coming through the cracked ceiling. Ok, so he lied about being alone, it kept the audience on their toes! One might ask just what audience he was thinking about, but that was for him to know and them to find out.

He grinned at the man tied in the chair, who was so obviously afraid of the Joker. He lifted up a knife that he had been holding in his hand, tightening the grip of his gloved fist on the handle. [green]"Whats with the frown, I thought we we're having fun here?"[/green] He moved closer to the man, who tried to move away, but his binds made the effort futile.

[green]"Usually this is the part where I give you a chance to tell me what I want to know before I start, but whats the fun in that?"[/green] The man didn't waste any time in saying that he'd tell the Joker anything he wanted to know, but the Joker had different plans. [green]"Oh, I know you'll tell me."[/green]

The Joker's grin never wained as he moved closer to the man, bending down and holding up his knife to his face. [green]"But before you start singing, lets put a smile on that face of yours..."[/green] It didn't take very long for the screaming to start.

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The Joker walked over to the sink, of course the building didn't have running water, but a nice sized pool of water had collected in it. He had taken off the gloves before it started getting to messy, but that left his hands dirty. He washed his hands off in the water, coloring it a nice solid red. He dried them off the mans jacket, well, it was his jacket, but he wasn't in any state to be owning things anymore.

What was it the Joker had wanted to know from the man? It must not have been very important, because he seemed to have forgotten just what it was! Perhaps it would come back to him later, the Joker wasn't to worried about it. He put his purple gloves back on and looked outside the window again to see that it wasn't raining. He let out a satisfied sigh and opened the door to the Gotham city, today was already looking to be a laugh.

[Benjamin Weiss]

Ben looked at the body in the chair. He had heard screaming from the street, even in the rain. He was sure everyone else around him had heard it as well, the few that were on the streets by now. Ben couldn't blame people for not wanting anything to do with the kind of carnage that went on here. Ben hooked his thumbs in his belt, it was a little loose, the belt was worn and stretched from all the wear and tear it had taken in the past. He just stared at the body. This city is broken, he thought, like me.

"You want to take this one?" He said, the air around him burning with the rage locked tightly away in the back of Ben's mind.

"Who else is going to? You? You haven't taken this gig seriously since New York." Ben laughed at this.

"You have a point, take the lead." His hand reached into his pocket. The domino mask stuck to his face with the same stuff Ben's brother in Gateway used. He pulled the bowler cap down to make sure it was tight on his head. He swiped a finger past the bright green feather in the band as he dropped his arm to his side.

"Joker-sign." The Terror said, bending at the waist, investigating the work done on the face. "Well, he usually doesn't try too hard to cover his tracks, should be simple work finding him." He said, turning to look out the open window that had allowed him access to the run down building. He was not above a rainy day climbing slippery, grimy, walls. He was only a minute or two behind the criminal, he knew that much. He looked out the window, in the hopes that the Joker's brash attitude had led him to walk down the main sidewalks. That didn't work at all. The Terror flew out the door. His feet were never on the ground for more than a millisecond, he leapt down the stairs.

The reflective nature of the painted, bright blue shield on his shirt caused every glimmer of sunlight that floated through the stormy clouds and windows to create a bluish flash in the staircase. Something within the Terror made him charge every time he faced a murderer. It was a sense of something tremendous being just beyond his reach. He needed to run faster, he needed to find it, he needed to grab whatever it was, and beat it to hell. On some level he realized he was chasing after that first man who had started it all. In reality, he had been caught, and beaten to death, but not soon enough.

As the Terror approached the side exit of the building, he jumped, kicked. The door broke from its hinges and loudly fell to the ground. The Terror saw the Joker's stride, gleefully light-footed, like someone who had a need to burst into song. How annoyingly stylish.

"Joker! Where you running to!?"

[The Joker]

Of course the Joker walked down the sidewalk, he was an upstanding citizen of Gotham, he had the right! Of course some other people didn't share his feelings on the subject, but that didn't stop the Joker. He walked down the street with a bounce in his step, he had gotten off to a good start this morning, and he was sure that the rest of the day would be a hoot.

There weren't really that many people walking on the sidewalk, but any of them who spotted the Joker instantly took off running away as fast as they could, probably to tell all their buddies who they just saw! Of course Joker wasn't going to hang around in public all day, he didn't want the Bat coming down. Of course he loved all his encounters with Gotham's Dark Knight, but he preferred to set up the stage a little more.

He almost felt like skipping, infact, he was probably going to except someone talked to him. After all the people who had run away, he was curious to see who was talking to him. He turned around to see another masked man, just how many of them did Gotham have? He grinned widely at the man, it looked like he wasn't so wrong about this being a good day!

[green]"My my, who do we have here? Looks like hero, maybe a wannabe? Got anything to back up those threads?"[/green] He let out a little laugh at his question. [green]"Running? Actually, I was thinking about skipping, but then you popped up."[/green] He didn't draw any weapons yet, this guy could make the first move, courtesy of the Joker.

[Benjamin Weiss]

"Not a wannabe. Just a man the other heroes try to forget." Terror said, his shield emblem gleaming, the green feather sparkling. "They call me the Technicolor Terror, because of my bright personality and," He smiled widely. "My gleaming smile. I thought you'd like someone around here to show a few teeth." He stared at the Joker, a perfectly contented look on his face.

"I hear this town's local protector doesn't like to kill, doesn't like firearms too much either." The Terror reached for the Colt 1911 pistol held tight between his belt and jeans. Raising it up to point at the Joker's face. "You'll find me a graduate of a different school of heroics. No less theatrical, but with a darker edge. Some say, I'm even a little bit crazy. Well, you can tell that to my first psychiatrist, if you can find all of him. Oh don't worry, he was taking advantage of his patients, raping them some would say, I acted justly. Eye for an eye mister Joker." He fired a warning shot just past the Joker's head and began walking towards him. The Terror wanted to see if he could beat that smile off his face.

[The Joker]

The Joker gave the man a curious look, the other heroes wanted to forget him? Maybe he was just a very dramatic person, or maybe he had been a naughty little boy-scout? He said he was the Technicolor Terror, which didn't really strike any fear into the Joker, but then again, nothing really did. It was interesting seeing a hero wear a big smile like that, but it got a laugh out of the Joker. [green]"Looks like not all the heroes are grumpy!"[/green]

At first Joker wondered what the Terror was going on about with Batman and guns, but he stopped wondering when a gun was pointed at his face. Of course he was still grinning like the maniac he was, it wasn't as easy to wipe his smile off as it was some other clowns. Then the Terror started going on about how he was a darker hero, big whoop. Then he mentioned something about being crazy. [green]"Everybody's crazy, they just don't realize yet! Theres just a few different degrees, "[/green]

He let out another laugh as Terror sent a warning shot past his head. He made mock expression of horror at Terror, someone might say that he was treating this like a game, well, he treated everything like it was a game. He didn't know if Terror was going to actually try and shoot him, or if he just liked intimidating people, but not knowing was half the fun! [green]"So you're just gonna shoot me, wheres the fun in that? Aren't we going to do the dramatic fist fight? Jeeze, I can see why the other heroes shun you."[/green]

[Benjamin Weiss]

"Well, as long as I get to beat on the dregs of the Earth, I'm pretty happy." The Terror said in response to the Joker's comment. "But I'm easily amused, so I guess you'll suffice." The Terror was over-confident, sure, but until this point, he had fought many criminals and had no reason to suspect this silly clown was any more fierce in hand-to-hand combat. The Terror clicked the safety on the pistol on and dropped it to the ground.

"Degrees, yeah, that sounds about right." He winked at the Joker. "But I think we're both aware of our own degrees." He pulled the bowler cap down again, making sure it wouldn't slip. "So, you want a fist fight, eh? Well I should just shoot you and keep you from doing your thing, which I totally respect mind you, but if you insist." The Terror shrugged, looking complacent, indifferent. "I can adjust. So, the ball's in your court mister Joker, choose your weapon I'll wait." He finished, hooking his thumbs in his belt.

[The Joker]

The Joker watched Terror amusedly, this guy was turning out to be a real treat. He seemed pretty confident in his abilities, or maybe the Joker came off as a little more innocent then he thought? The people who fled from him in fear would probably beg to differ, but everyones got their own opinion. He looked at the gun as it was switched to safety and then dropped to the ground, discarded as if it were a used candy wrapper.

The Joker let out a little chuckle at the Terror's next words, they just tickled him. [green]"Oh, you're smart, I like that."[/green] It was hard to tell if the Joker was mocking someone, sometimes he didn't even know himself! He watched as the Terror hooked his thumbs in his belt, the ball was in the Joker's court now, he just had to decide what to do with it. He tapped his finger to his chin while he contemplated, but he already had a good idea of what he was going to use.

[green]"I like your style, so for once I'll play a little fair."[/green] He reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol, just an ordinary handgun, but the Joker was a hell of a shot with it! He held it up so the Terror could see it. He held it as if it was something disgusting, the two fingers he was using barely holding onto the handle. He then tossed it to the side, one of the bullets discharging into the sky as it hit the solid ground. [green]"Oopsie, forgot to turn off the safety."[/green] He shrugged a bit and looked back at the Terror.

[green]"Alright, now that we got that out of the way."[/green] He reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife handle, a slight shink sound coming from it as a blade popped out. He touched the tip of the knife with his gloved finger. [green]"Nice and sharp, my favorite!"[/green] He held the knife up and grinned at Terror. [green]"The stage is set, now lets put on a show!"[/green]

[Benjamin Weiss]

At the compliment to the Terror's style, he nodded his head in graciousness, if whimsically. He just stared at the gun after it had discharged from hitting the ground. "Oh, had a little misfire there Joker. I'm sure you're used to it though." He giggled mockingly. "I do love a good double entendre. I'm sure you can appreciate a good laugh from one as well, cheap though it may be." The Terror watched the glimmer of the knife as it opened up in the light pervading the city. The cliche shink sound made the Terror giggle a little more as it rang through his ears.

He found, the best way to win a fight with a lunatic, was to be a fine example of lunacy himself. While certain other inhabitants of his body would argue that he hadn't the need to work hard at that, he was aware that people like the Joker may not be privy to the full extent of the Terror's terrors. For example, the masochism, the fact that most of the scars Ben had woken up and found were not, in fact, the result of crime-fighting late in the night, but were self-inflicted. This little gem of a thing in the Terror's personality would very likely come in handy.

"I'm honored that you would choose to play fair with me." He smiled. "Let's see if we can get that smile off your face." The Terror said, unhooking his thumbs, staring steadily directly into the Joker's eyes, and approaching confidently at a calm walking pace.

[The Joker]

[green]"A laughs a laugh!"[/green] The Joker replied to what Terror had said, he had his own way of making people laugh, but that didn't mean everyone had to use it, because if they did, Joker wouldn't be Gotham's favorite clown anymore! And he just couldn't have that, competition wasn't something he delt with nicely. He continued grinning, not that he ever stopped, he always wore a smile!

He twirled the knife around in his fingers as he waited for Terror to get things started. Of course Joker didn't mind being the opening act, but he was so much better at being the body of the show. He took what parts he could get, so it didn't much matter to him. He stopped the twirling and pointed the knife tip in Terror's direction, the action would be starting soon. [green]"It isn't often I get to rumble with someone other then the Bat!"[/green]

He let out a laugh at Terror's words, not alot of people tried to get the smile off of Joker's face, most of them simply knew that it was impossible. [green]"A challenge, I like that!"[/green] The Joker didn't have any battle stances, he just stood there like he normally did as Terror walked closer to him. The Joker didn't make the first move, why would he do that when Terror looked so eager to hurt him?

[Benjamin Weiss]

The Terror nodded to the Joker's affirmation of jokes. Terror just had to keep pushing, be more and more like the Joker. That's what was really needed. The Joker wasn't anything more than a man who hadn't gotten out of his rebellious teenager phase. He existed solely to resist the status quo. If someone was introduced to be like the Joker, well then what would the Joker be? He didn't expect the Joker to think about it for long, but it would occupy his mind enough to give the Terror an upper hand. He hoped. "Well, it isn't often I get to rumble someone other than petty criminals. I hate those guys so much." He continued as he walked closer. "I mean, if you're going to do something, go for the gold." He said, now barely two feet away. "That's why I like you, Jokester my pal. You do everything..." He paused, reached out, grabbed the Joker's wrist and pulled it towards himself plunging the knife into the Terror's own shoulder. "To the extreme." He said. He released the Joker's wrist and pulled his shoulder off the blade.

"Oooh. That smarts." He said, giggling. "I bet somebody will be feeling that in the morning." He shrugged. "Not my problem." He performed a point-blank roundhouse kick, aimed at the Joker's face. The Terror hoped his actions would, at the least, severely bother the Joker as their masochistic and nihilistic nature would mimic the Joker's own tendencies.

[The Joker]

The Joker couldn't help but let out a sort of twisted giggle as Terror got closer, it wouldn't be much longer before the good stuff started. He couldn't read minds, so he didn't know anything that was going inside his opponents head, not that he cared, he only needed to know what was going on inside his head, although that proved to be a bit difficult sometimes. He held his knife firmly in his hand, he didn't want to go dropping it now.

He let out another laugh as Terror replied, calling the Joker petty, this guy knew how to hit people where it hurt! Unfortunately for him, the Joker didn't really care, he was past it all, thats just how crazy he was! He looked Terror head to toe as he stood two feet away from him, any second now! He saw Terror go for his wrist, but he was doing it all wrong! That wasn't how you went to grab for someones wrist if you wanted to disarm them. He didn't stop him just to see what he was thinking, and he was a little surprised to see the result.

Terror had plunged Joker's own knife into his shoulder, and he didn't even seem to mind it! He looked up at Terror and gave a little [green]"hehe,"[/green] just what was this guy thinking? He had fought a few superheroes and they all displayed a few common traits that Terror seemed to be lacking, a new breed of evil fighters? Joker didn't know, but he sure was eager to find out what else was wrong with this guy! The Joker held the knife up for a few moments, inspecting the blood on it, how odd this man was!

[green]"You're a freak, like me!"[/green] The traits that Terror was showing, however similar to the ones he showed, were not enough to unsettle him. The Joker was in a different category all to his own, if he was unsettled by people being insane, well, then he'd be unsettled alot, insane people were his favorite company! He ducked under the roundhouse kick and sent a punch up at the Terror's face, his knife coming down in a slashing arc near at his left side.

[Benjamin Weiss]

The Terror kicked the knife hand out of the way, choosing to endure the punch, which was the better of the two to receive. He then grabbed the wrist of the hand that had punched him. He twisted his body, and sent the back of his fist slamming towards the Joker's face.

"Not like you Jokester. I am you. I see something fundamentally wrong with the world. You see it as a lack of humor, you feel the need to spice things up a bit, well a lot. I see too much humor, I want to end the fun you seem to be having, because when children have to be afraid of serial rapists. The fun time is over, I don't care, no more fun and games until every symptom of the human race can be treated promptly and without fail." He sent his right heel flying towards the Joker's stomach. "Also, I find killing criminals enjoyable. Killing anything really, but I don't want to lose focus."