Rental Issues

"Bruce, there's something I have to tell you." Tim stroked Azrael's coffin and said, "It's about Zsasz. He attacked my school, Gotham Heights High School, remember? Catwoman, who you sent, caught him." Tim continued, "Although Zsasz claims he acted alone, and I verified his statement, I don't believe in coincidences. There are so many high schools in Gotham, why mine? His methods and timing were completely different from his usual MO. Someone must be manipulating him. Two-Face? Riddler? I haven't figured it out yet."

He stood up straight. "But whoever it is, they might have some idea about my secret identity." But Tim quickly dismissed the thought. "Forget it, it's just speculation. I have no evidence to back it up. Bruce, what about you? What did you want to say earlier?" Adam frowned. Indeed, in the comics, Zsasz was supposed to target a girls' school, not Robin's high school. What caused this deviation in the plot? Damn, it couldn't be me again, could it? Lacking enough information, Adam couldn't figure it out. He decided to move on.

"We'll discuss this later. For now, I need you to accompany me to the Petit Saint Priss District."

......

This was the newly opened "Super Baby" restaurant in Gotham City. Due to the bizarre dinosaur incident two days ago, the owner had cleverly introduced the "Magical Dinosaur Delight" meal set, which quickly became a hit. "Alright, you've got a Harley Quinn burger, a Black Canary salad, and a Jesse Quick Broken Leg Meal." A Harley Quinn-dressed waitress delivered the meals, but a sleazy customer reached for her behind. "You might want to watch your hand, Fatty."

"Hey, show some respect for the ladies." Two police officers sitting on the window ledge spoke up, "We may not be able to handle a giant green dinosaur, but we can definitely handle you."

Unfortunately, in Gotham, the more the police told certain individuals not to do something, the more they wanted to do it. The grubby hand reached out again.The younger officer lost his patience. "Boris, I can't take this anymore, I..."

Bang!

The man with the wandering hand screamed in agony as the waitress lifted him with one hand and slammed him to the ground, his arm snapping with a sickening crack. The Harley Quinn-dressed waitress dusted off her hands. "Anything else I can do for you, pretty boys?"

"Damn, she broke my hand! She freaking broke my hand—"Squeak—A few hours later, it was closing time. Harley Quinn exited the restaurant, still working on a crossword puzzle in the newspaper, but she wasn't headed home. She took the subway to an apartment in downtown Gotham. Tap-tap-tap!She climbed the stairs and knocked thrice on the door. "Oh!" Harley looked up to see a leaf poking out from the crack in the door. "Someone might see that." She quickly reached out her delicate hand and plucked the green leaf.

There was no response from inside. So she took out her key and creaked the door open. From the outside, it was unremarkable, but inside, the apartment was teeming with plants. Green vines covered almost every surface, and the twisting tree trunks made it feel like a rainforest. Harley placed her hands on her hips. "Enough!" With a rustling sound, the plants slowly retreated, revealing the true form of the person. Or perhaps, it was a plant. A massive Piranha Plant stood in the center of the room, emitting an unsettling laugh. "Harley, you're here! Ivy asked me to tell you that this is will be your new home!"

"Of course, there's no electricity, water, or gas, because Ivy hasn't paid the rent in over six months!"

"..."

Seeing Harley's silence, the Piranha Plant quickly continued, "Aha, I know what you're about to ask, let me answer—"

"Stop. Let me ask. And, Frank, can you tone down the theatrics?"The Piranha Plant paused."Oh. Harley, I thought you'd enjoy them."

"First, I broke up with the Joker ages ago. Second, I've turned over a new leaf and even got a job as a waitress at this weird place called Super Baby. Third, I'm mentally stable now, not crazy at all. And my name is Harleen Quinzel, not Harley Quinn!" Harley pinched her cheeks, forcing a wide, unnatural smile. Then she stretched out her hand and forcefully flattened the corners of her mouth, her face returning to normal, devoid of any trace of the former Harley Quinn's madness. "Fourth, I got cured. The Arkham doctors gave me a bunch of pointless awards. If I wasn't completely broke, I would have...Ugh, never mind, it's too embarrassing." Harley looked around at the mess. "Didn't Red tell me he hired a kid from the neighborhood to clean and water the plants? Why is there...

"Ugh!"

Frank vomited out a skeleton in front of Harley, the bones still clutching an undigested leather backpack. "Lovely. Frank, what on earth are you..."

"I couldn't help it, Harley." Frank, the carnivorous plant, said with a hint of guilt, "After Ivy left for a week, that little brat was still diligently cleaning the room, but a month later, he started stealing things, so..."

"Damn it, Frank, you're in big trouble! Don't his parents have—"

"Ugh!""Ugh!"

Two more skeletons were vomited out, a man and a woman judging by their clothing. Harley didn't even need to look to know their identities. "Damn it, Frank, if the landlord finds out...."

"Ugh!"

Another skeleton, this one leaning on a cane, was expelled. It was relatively fresh, with bits of undigested flesh still clinging to it. Frank then coughed up a gun. "It's not my fault. That little brat's parents are criminals. They showed up with guns. They don't look like good people at all. The landlord already took back the apartment and most of Ivy's and my plants. That was fine, but he wanted to turn this place into a bakery, so I had to act reluctantly."

"..." Harley was speechless. "Fine." She sighed, exhausted. "I'm just a normal person now, so I guess I'll live here. It can't get any worse, right?"

Knock knock knock.

Someone pounded on the door. Harley heard a voice shout, "Open up! Batman!"

"Seriously?"