Chapter 11: Falling Apart

Morning 'Gotham City;

It was a chilly morning in Gotham as noise filled the City.From protests demanding justice to police cruisers rushing in all directions with news and press vans not far behind. Arias was looking out his window at the Chaos he caused with a slight smile on his face. As he did so, Àpeiro spoke up.

'Your ways of dealing with people intrigue me, to think such a development could occur from very simple actions'.

Arias went silent for a moment before responding.

"We are a very chaotic race to begin with, wars in past could be waged over the simplest matters. Such a vicious yet fragile race indeed *sigh*well time to see how our guest is feeling".

Arias quickly did his morning necessities before heading down stairs. What awaited him came as a slight surprise. The living room looked like it had been cleaned and a plate with what he could only assume was food was laid on the table. Harley looked to have recovered from last night but it was clear she was far from it so why the sudden eagerness to help around.

Harley's life had pretty much revolved around the joker with that gone she has nowhere else to go with all that is happening. Arias's expression remained neutral as he sat on a chair and looked at the food.

"Isn't it a little early to try and kill me? Besides the hotel has a cleaning service as well as food caterers so this wasn't necessary."

Harley remained unfazed by Arias's comment and continued to speak.

"I was just fooling around in the kitchen and made it Mr. Boogeyman, give it a try you might like it"

Arias looked at the meal before him once more before asking a question.

"Have you tried it?"

Harley simply turned and acted busy while avoiding Arias's question.

'She must want to lay low here...but joker could always call her and she'd go running back. Although it would be nice to have an attractive woman at my beck and call,despite her mental stability. There is a way I might try, although it could either end with the joker welcoming Harley back or breaking whatever little hope she has left'.

"So what now? with the news out you're no longer on everyone's radar. I take it you're going to join joker wherever he is correct?".

Harley seemed to freeze at the question but laughed and spoke in her usual manner.

"Oh he doesn't wanna drag me down cause of the heat that's on him so he told me to stay exactly where I am so I'll be here for...awhile maybe".

Her body language was all over the place as she spoke unable to hide her sadness despite her wide smile when saying that. Arias however continued on to speak.

"Last I checked, this isn't his place to make such a call, Luckily for you I know where he is so I'll drop you off at his hideout later tonight, from what I know very few people know where he is in Gotham so you can tell him he shouldn't worry about being caught anytime soon."

Arias spoke quickly and bluntly before standing from his seat and preparing to leave. But as he did so, Harley finally decided to speak up.

"He doesn't want me okay!!!... I screwed up and he said if he sees me again he'll kill me himself....I know when he's serious Mr Boogeyman so... can I stay here for a bit?"

At the end she showed emotion arias didn't think possible from her.

'Guess it's hit her pretty hard...but not hard enough'.

"You won't know till you meet him, he could've just been in the moment and if he still doesn't want anything to do with you you won't have any regrets".

He walked up to Harley and looked down at her, putting his hand on her chin and raising her head before staring into her eyes with his own cold unfeeling eyes.

"I'm not going to keep around someone else's lackey so go to the address I give you and if you still want to stay here afterwards then you're hired, consider this a requirement. I can at least guarantee your safety then and only then."

Arias laid out his options to Harley and left no room for debate.

'I don't got many options and maybe Puddin cooled down enough for me to try to explain again. Then could let me off with a beating and some cuts'

Harley simply nodded as Arias released her and walked out of the apartment.

About 30 minutes later Arias has arrived at Gotham's main bank. He walked to a free counter and requested a sit at the next estate auction. With so many properties soon to be taken from the crime families an auction was the only sensible way the bank could make money from them.

After finishing with the bank he left to to sort out a few other pending things the most important being a contacts book that had cost him a good deal of money and the second being raiding the stashes of money hidden by the crime lords through out Gotham.

'One would have to be one hell of an idiot to leave the data showing where they hid some of their money. As for the drugs and weapons I already have a few contacts who could be interested'

Getting everything settled toke him the whole day and by the time he returned Harley was no where to be seen.

'She must've left already I better follow soon then, at least everything important is falling in place I just need a proper place to stay where I can also store sensitive material. But once all of that is done, I'd have a base to call my own then the work really begins.'

The ever so familiar Àpeiro interrupted Arias's thoughts with a comment of her own.

'I'm curious, why go through such a tedious process for one woman. Taking her by force wouldn't be a problem for you, if she where to resist, you can simply make her bend to your will. Or do you perhaps have what you'd describe as feelings for her?'

Arias chuckled at Àpeiro's question before giving his reply.

'Far from it. I just don't see the point in making her into some slave that only knows to follow orders. Building loyalty however, will give me a useful asset. Be it when I want to satisfy myself or in my plans. Should trying to gain loyalty fail...then I move on to other methods.'

Àpeiro was quick to reply as well to Arias's reasoning.

'Loyalty is never guaranteed but I suppose you already know that and have a contingency in place yes?'

Arias smiled and nodded.

'It won't solely depend on loyalty, if I can, I'd prefer to have any female assets fall in Love with me. Before I met you, I gained a lot through this method. We humans are fickle beings, I've seen people at their weakest when in love. Willing to go above and beyond for those they care for, even it meant their own life would be lost.'

Àpeiro understood what he meant and went on to ask her last question.

'Do you not fear you may fall in love with them and thus become weak as well?'

Arias didn't hesitate in giving Àpeiro a blunt and straightforward answer to her question.

'I may grow to care for them which is only natural but you should already know that there is and will always be only one woman I could say I have ever loved.'

Àpeiro felt she should not have asked as she replied in a low tone.

'Your Mother....'