The sun is shining, the sky is as blue as can be. The warmth of June is finally starting, and while some might have found the change in weather a complete shock, he finds it to be comforting. "Reminds me of home!" He says cheerfully, as he's driving with the windows down, Greene the dog next to him, cowering in his seat. Something is wrong, but he doesn't seem to care. "Of course, back home things were a lot different. More psychos, more stupid people identifying as bats, but that got boring. There's more things to do here, right, Greene?"
The dog looks at him and growls in anger, "Weird name for a dog." He starts to laugh, and then the laughing stops. His smile turns into a frown.
"Stop talking about my dog, Joker," He immediately says out loud, his voice tone changing. The second his voice changes, and his demeanor changes, Greene happily perks up and starts barking happily, going over to lick his owner's hand. "Sorry, buddy," He says to the dog, reaching over and scratching behind his ears before he pays attention to the road once more. Talking to himself isn't something he likes to do, but given this new situation, he's finding he's doing it more and more these days. Especially when he's got two personalities fighting for control full time.
It's been a week since Joker appeared out of nowhere a week early, and it's been a week since Joseph realized that he was stuck like this for the rest of his life. Joker was far stronger that Joseph ever really gave him credit for, and so Joseph was finding his personality changing. He was finding that things he hated and struggled against were becoming easier. But at the moment, he was escaping the state. Heading into another state, because he wants to get as far away from others as he can.
His brown hair has green roots, a week and a half of not maintaining it is starting to bring back his now "natural" (if it can be called that) green hair, and he's stopped wearing his blue contacts to over the bright of the color of his eyes now. He's thankful, at least, that his skin isn't pale white, and it's the one thing they both can agree on now. Joker says it helps him blend in to get away with things easier, Joseph says it helps him lead a 'normal' life, but it's still two sides of the same coin.
We should go back to New York, kill your parents, comes the voice, deciding it's going to reside in Joseph's head for the moment, since Joker doesn't feel like being attacked by Greene the small but vicious -- and doesn't that remind him of someone -- dog. It'd be hilarious.
"Yeah. How about we don't do that," Joseph growls back, and his hands go tight against the wheel, knuckles going white. "The fact that I now have perfect fucking memory of everyone that you have fucking murdered in the last year and a half makes me very much not wanting to do that. Also, just because I hate my parents, doesn't mean I want them fucking dead. They always check for relatives first. Don't insult me like that."
Oh right! Old Professor Kerris-Edison, teaching little children in college how to get away with murder! Literally! And yet you get all high and fucking mighty when some redhead starts selling drugs again--
"You leave her out of this."
Why? She's a fun fuck. Fantastic fucking tits. And it pisses you off every time I do it -- sorry, do her. It's awful when instead of hearing the laugher in his head, he does it outloud, and there is a growl from Greene. He raises an eyebrow at the dog, and clears his throat, voice returning to normal again. "Sorry buddy," he says once more, and the dog seems apprehensive, but seems to have accepted this. For now.
I'm just saying, Joey, that you can't be judgemental of people when you used to do the same fucking thing. Granted, don't get me wrong, being judgemental is a thing I like cause it usually ends up in a fight. Sometimes death! Those are always good. The dying, that is. WAtching others bleed out, it's fascinating. Have you ever seen it? Who am I kidding, of course you have! Former mob hitman and lawyer. You used to be so exciting. But you've been so boring lately. The voice may only be in his head, but he's making the head gestures as if he's the one saying the words, and there's a little hum that comes from him, almost sing-song like as they drive over the border of New Hampshire to Maine. Only a few more hours.
The car goes down the highway, no one around for miles, as he heads towards his destination. "Joker, we have to find a way to get a long. We're stuck with each other now."
You're lucky I can't kill you, or I would have.
"And you're lucky I can't die, or I would have," Joseph shoots back immediately, with venom and hatred behind his voice. He had been working towards getting his life back on track. He had been trying to start a new life, leaving his 'shadier' side behind him. But how was he rewarded? By dealing with this shit. By dealing with a maniac trying to destroy his life, one death at time, one relationship at a time, one bad decision at a time. Murder and mayhem, destroying everything that Joseph had worked so hard towards. He remembers what it was like when he dreamt that Joker had finally won and taken over, and Joseph wanted so badly to make sure it didn't happen. But, it did. And now? Now he had the distinct knowledge of everything that Joker was doing in the weeks he had been missing. Now he had memories of all the murders, of the tortures, of everything else he had missed. The first time he lost memories and Joker took over. Torturing friends and exes in Arkham Asylum, and kidnapping his best friend, someone he hadn't seen for months since. Being stabbed in a burning warehouse by a woman he loved, as she fled for her life. The memories of things he didn't want to remember, even if he had a vague idea.
Because Joker had always left notes and video for Joseph if it had meant that it was going to cause Joseph pain. And it always did. But now, now he would remember everything. He would remember every word, every action. And every single time he had become distraught over what he couldn't fix, over all the lives that had been lost, it was too much.
He pulls the car over on the side of the highway, and closes his eyes. Don't you feel it, Joey? That pull to Boston? Let's go home. Let's go get some work done. He opens his eyes and tries to put the car into reverse, but he fights himself. There's a struggle over his body, and Greene jumps in the backseat to get away from it. It's that time. The shift had started, but Joseph was still around this time.
"No, Joker. We're going to do things my way. This means getting some things in order."
And those things are in that shitty cabin in Maine? Joker says, trying to act indignant, but there is a hint of being scared. Joseph smirks.
"Yes. Because what's yours is mine now, remember? And I think it's time we uncover what we have buried there, don't you?"
He clears his throat, he sits up straight, and he starts the car again. "Come on, Greene, we're almost there, and we'll get you some food." He said, as Greene tilted his head to the side before jumping to the front of the car. Once Greene was securely back in the front seat, Joseph started the car once more and started the drive.
Joker, for his part, didn't fight the rest of the drive. He was interested to see what would happen, to see if he could somehow get Joseph to his line of thinking. He had the rest of their lives to find out if he could; it would be so boring fighting himself for eternity if not.
"I hear you thinking," Joseph muttered, and he laughed. Not Joker's laugh, but his own. "You're not hiding anything from me, not anymore."
The dog looks at him and growls in anger, "Weird name for a dog." He starts to laugh, and then the laughing stops. His smile turns into a frown.
"Stop talking about my dog, Joker," He immediately says out loud, his voice tone changing. The second his voice changes, and his demeanor changes, Greene happily perks up and starts barking happily, going over to lick his owner's hand. "Sorry, buddy," He says to the dog, reaching over and scratching behind his ears before he pays attention to the road once more. Talking to himself isn't something he likes to do, but given this new situation, he's finding he's doing it more and more these days. Especially when he's got two personalities fighting for control full time.
It's been a week since Joker appeared out of nowhere a week early, and it's been a week since Joseph realized that he was stuck like this for the rest of his life. Joker was far stronger that Joseph ever really gave him credit for, and so Joseph was finding his personality changing. He was finding that things he hated and struggled against were becoming easier. But at the moment, he was escaping the state. Heading into another state, because he wants to get as far away from others as he can.
His brown hair has green roots, a week and a half of not maintaining it is starting to bring back his now "natural" (if it can be called that) green hair, and he's stopped wearing his blue contacts to over the bright of the color of his eyes now. He's thankful, at least, that his skin isn't pale white, and it's the one thing they both can agree on now. Joker says it helps him blend in to get away with things easier, Joseph says it helps him lead a 'normal' life, but it's still two sides of the same coin.
We should go back to New York, kill your parents, comes the voice, deciding it's going to reside in Joseph's head for the moment, since Joker doesn't feel like being attacked by Greene the small but vicious -- and doesn't that remind him of someone -- dog. It'd be hilarious.
"Yeah. How about we don't do that," Joseph growls back, and his hands go tight against the wheel, knuckles going white. "The fact that I now have perfect fucking memory of everyone that you have fucking murdered in the last year and a half makes me very much not wanting to do that. Also, just because I hate my parents, doesn't mean I want them fucking dead. They always check for relatives first. Don't insult me like that."
Oh right! Old Professor Kerris-Edison, teaching little children in college how to get away with murder! Literally! And yet you get all high and fucking mighty when some redhead starts selling drugs again--
"You leave her out of this."
Why? She's a fun fuck. Fantastic fucking tits. And it pisses you off every time I do it -- sorry, do her. It's awful when instead of hearing the laugher in his head, he does it outloud, and there is a growl from Greene. He raises an eyebrow at the dog, and clears his throat, voice returning to normal again. "Sorry buddy," he says once more, and the dog seems apprehensive, but seems to have accepted this. For now.
I'm just saying, Joey, that you can't be judgemental of people when you used to do the same fucking thing. Granted, don't get me wrong, being judgemental is a thing I like cause it usually ends up in a fight. Sometimes death! Those are always good. The dying, that is. WAtching others bleed out, it's fascinating. Have you ever seen it? Who am I kidding, of course you have! Former mob hitman and lawyer. You used to be so exciting. But you've been so boring lately. The voice may only be in his head, but he's making the head gestures as if he's the one saying the words, and there's a little hum that comes from him, almost sing-song like as they drive over the border of New Hampshire to Maine. Only a few more hours.
The car goes down the highway, no one around for miles, as he heads towards his destination. "Joker, we have to find a way to get a long. We're stuck with each other now."
You're lucky I can't kill you, or I would have.
"And you're lucky I can't die, or I would have," Joseph shoots back immediately, with venom and hatred behind his voice. He had been working towards getting his life back on track. He had been trying to start a new life, leaving his 'shadier' side behind him. But how was he rewarded? By dealing with this shit. By dealing with a maniac trying to destroy his life, one death at time, one relationship at a time, one bad decision at a time. Murder and mayhem, destroying everything that Joseph had worked so hard towards. He remembers what it was like when he dreamt that Joker had finally won and taken over, and Joseph wanted so badly to make sure it didn't happen. But, it did. And now? Now he had the distinct knowledge of everything that Joker was doing in the weeks he had been missing. Now he had memories of all the murders, of the tortures, of everything else he had missed. The first time he lost memories and Joker took over. Torturing friends and exes in Arkham Asylum, and kidnapping his best friend, someone he hadn't seen for months since. Being stabbed in a burning warehouse by a woman he loved, as she fled for her life. The memories of things he didn't want to remember, even if he had a vague idea.
Because Joker had always left notes and video for Joseph if it had meant that it was going to cause Joseph pain. And it always did. But now, now he would remember everything. He would remember every word, every action. And every single time he had become distraught over what he couldn't fix, over all the lives that had been lost, it was too much.
He pulls the car over on the side of the highway, and closes his eyes. Don't you feel it, Joey? That pull to Boston? Let's go home. Let's go get some work done. He opens his eyes and tries to put the car into reverse, but he fights himself. There's a struggle over his body, and Greene jumps in the backseat to get away from it. It's that time. The shift had started, but Joseph was still around this time.
"No, Joker. We're going to do things my way. This means getting some things in order."
And those things are in that shitty cabin in Maine? Joker says, trying to act indignant, but there is a hint of being scared. Joseph smirks.
"Yes. Because what's yours is mine now, remember? And I think it's time we uncover what we have buried there, don't you?"
He clears his throat, he sits up straight, and he starts the car again. "Come on, Greene, we're almost there, and we'll get you some food." He said, as Greene tilted his head to the side before jumping to the front of the car. Once Greene was securely back in the front seat, Joseph started the car once more and started the drive.
Joker, for his part, didn't fight the rest of the drive. He was interested to see what would happen, to see if he could somehow get Joseph to his line of thinking. He had the rest of their lives to find out if he could; it would be so boring fighting himself for eternity if not.
"I hear you thinking," Joseph muttered, and he laughed. Not Joker's laugh, but his own. "You're not hiding anything from me, not anymore."