𝐃𝐑. 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐄.

daylight    has    fled    from    gotham’s    skies        ,        replaced  by  an  inky  blackness        .        this  is  the  time  of  day  where  people  punch  in        //        others  punch  out        * &        𝙰𝙻𝙻    𝚆𝙾𝚄𝙻𝙳    𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚁    𝙱𝙴    𝙴𝙻𝚂𝙴𝚆𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴        .        𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭  𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬  𝐢𝐧  𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐦  𝐚𝐬𝐲𝐥𝐮𝐦  𝐚𝐫𝐞  𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬  𝐚  𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞        ,        especially  for  those  who  desperately  want  to  trade  in  communal  madness  for        𝘵𝘩𝘦    𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴    𝘰𝘧    𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳    𝘰𝘸𝘯    𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭    𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭        .        

except        for  hugo  strange        ,        𝐰𝐡𝐨  𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝  𝐛𝐞  𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜  𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞  𝐭𝐨  𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐞  𝐚  𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲        .        𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷    𝙰    𝙿𝚄𝚁𝙿𝙾𝚂𝙴        ,        𝙷𝙴    𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙳𝙴𝚂    𝙰𝙲𝚁𝙾𝚂𝚂    𝚃𝙷𝙴    𝙷𝙰𝙻𝙻𝚂         ———        greeting  colleagues  only  if  needed        .        then         ,        finally  arriving  at  fellow  doctor        jonathan    crane’s        office        ,         he  allows  knuckles  to  rap  firmly  against  the  door        .        

however        ,        he    doesn’t    wait    for    an    answer        ;        instead  opting  to  try  the  handle        .        if        the  door  were  to        o p e n        he’d  simply  waltz  inside        without  any  regard  for  politeness        .      𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚈’𝙳        𝚂𝙾𝙾𝙽        𝙱𝙴        𝙵𝙰𝚁        𝙿𝙰𝚂𝚃        𝙿𝙻𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙰𝙽𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙴𝚂        .        after  all        .         

for    you    see        .  .  .  .        everyone    has    their    secrets        :        the  entirety  of  the        GCPD        ,        bruce    wayne        ,        *  &        certain  arkham  staff        .        as  a  matter  of  fact       ,        hugo  himself  has  a  few  things  he’d        rather    no    one    find    out        .  .  .  .        but  this  visit  isn’t  to  bare  his  soul        [    𝙶𝙾𝙾𝙳𝙽𝙴𝚂𝚂    𝙽𝙾        !    ]        ;        rather        ,        he’d  be  stripping  someone  else’s  clean        * &        using  its  contents  for  personal gain        ! 

HUGO        IS        ABOUT        TO         START        SOME        SHIT        WITH        @CRAENE        .

                    THE GOTHAM EVENING OVERCOMES THE CITY LIKE A FITTED SHEET ,   OR A PADDED CELL ,   MADE TO SMOTHER EVERYONE INTO A QUIET SLEEP .           it was almost audible ,   the way it embraces everything .   sometimes it sounded like a sigh ,   a last breath of the tired city before it succumbs to the call of slumber .   sometimes it’s the start of a giggle ,   a sick comedian withholding the final joke until the final countdown .   the sound brings no comfort .   it brings no hope for a better day .   it only brings fear .   for every shadow hides even darker creatures ,   and your every step echoes in the thick silence .   in the night ,   gotham is a haunted house .   and in the main attraction   [   foreboding and vile :   arkham asylum   ]   the good doctor laughs .   there is only fear there .   abundant and delicious .

                    and the door opens !   but he remained seated .   how should he regard his guest ?   his   .  .  .   friend ?   he doesn’t trust that smile and he doesn’t trust that stance .   he doesn’t like how the man’s every step felt powerful on the hardwood floor ,   like muffled claps of thunder .   if he was a fearful man ,   he would have scrambled to his feet .   all this doesn’t look like a friendly visit !   but he wasn’t .   instead ,   he lounged back .   eyes wide .   curious .   “   that’s very rude ,   strange .   whatever happened to the manners of an educated man ?   ”

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE HERE, AND I AM WHAT MADNESS HAS MADE ME. WHOLE. AND COMPLETE. AND FREE AT LAST.                                - Grant Morrison, Batman: Arkham Asylum

                    someone approaches and crane is pulled from his reverie .   an eyebrow is raised out of instinct .

          then @kriezler​ enters !   and he says  ❛ are you having any negative thoughts ? ❜

                    this is when his face breaks into a wide smile ,   followed by an amused giggle .   savour it ,   whoever is witnessing .   for this this display of amusement is rare .   it is genuine !   “   are you not going to start by asking me about my day ?   perhaps memories of my mother ?   come on now ,   laszlo   -----   ”   the laugh is now gone .   the smile remains .   but now it leaks of poison .   all genuineness was quick to disappeared .   “   -----   that is lazy psychiatry .   this tactic does not work on me .   ask the real questions if you wish to dig deep .   ”

                    ARKHAM ASYLUM WILL NEVER KNOW PEACE ,   EVEN AT THIS TIME OF THE NIGHT .           even when the halls are empty .    even when the only sounds are the low hum of industrial lights and a muffled    tap .    tap .    tap .    the sound of a pen tapping on a thick notepad ,    held by the good doctor who wore a smile not on his lips but in his eyes .    he is with a friend right now .    and if they know him well enough ,    they know the doctor is nothing but a skin suit .    a shining facade .    hiding something rotten festering inside .

                    there are no mask today ,    my friends .    not when this session is done off the book .    within the shadows .    between two brains who must understand this place more than anyone else .    every creak of the floor boards and every whisper within the walls .    a language they can comprehend .    all chaos came from arkham .    crane knew this .    and ,    with full confidence ,    he knows she does as well . 

                    he clears his throat ,    hello ,    darling .    i am still your friend .     and like a trained machine his emotions shifted .    to consoling .    to concern .    “    how are you doing ,    harleen ?    can i still call you harleen ?    i don’t like meeting you like this ,    in this hour of the night .    reunion with friends shouldn’t be forbidden .    ”    he leans close .    “    but alas ,    they have tight restrictions on you .    my god ,    quinzel ,    what have you done ?    ”