27th March
20:04 GMT -4
"…kinda took a while-" Doctor Quinzel pokes at her noodles with her chopsticks. "-but I finally think Waller's stawtin' t' like me."
I widen my eyes for comedic effect. "Really?"
"Y'know." She deftly lifts a string of noodles into her mouth and chews for a moment before swallowing. "She don't glare at me so much no mowah."
I've never really got the hang of chopsticks. Fortunately for me, this restaurant lays out conventional western utensils for people like me. Certainly, I could just use the rings to hold the food in place but I'm trying not to draw attention. I use a fork to scoop up some rice and then skewer a piece of peanut-flavoured chicken. Fruit and meat may not work for me but this is quite nice.
"The guards are alright with you, aren't they?"
"Mmm, couple weren't. But the new guys weren't heeya during the Time of Strange an' most everyone else is giving me the benefit o' the doubt."
I spear a couple of French beans. "Do you want me to ask Bendemann to have a quiet word?"
"Fuhgeddaboudit. The prison shrink ain't nevah gonna be populah." She somehow manages to grip a piece of beef at the same time as a broccoli floret and put them into her mouth. She's wearing tight-fitting black jeans with a red roll neck jumper. I invited her out to dinner to talk about the progress we're making with some of the inmates and we stopped off at her apartment in Houma before I transitioned us on to New York. "How'd you even know about this place, anyways?"
"Zatanna Zatara recommended it to me originally. I've been here a couple of times."
She raises her eyebrows. "You live in Noo Yawk?"
"No, Rhode Island, but Diana, the Zataras and one of the Green Lanterns live around here so I've spent quite a lot of time in the area."
"I thawt you had that flying fowtress thing?"
"Yes, but it's a bit isolated. Superman has a fortress, but he doesn't live there. Can I take it you've eaten here before?"
"Yeah, a buncha times. I grew up in Brooklyn."
"Oh."
"What?"
"I just.. always associated you with Gotham."
"Oh, I didn't move t' Gotham 'til I stawted college. Went to Gotham U on a gymnastics scholarship. The Arkham Trust paid for my doctorate. They got grants for anyone who agrees t' work there when they finish." Her face falls slightly. "Seemed like a good deal at the time. Course, now I know Strange approved my application because…" She waves her chopsticks.
I nod. "Would you say Arkham was a better or worse place to work than Belle Reve?"
"Belle Reve's definitely sayfuh. While I was theyah I tink we had, like, fowar or five guys fired fowar takin' gang money. And, y'know, Gotham,-"
"Gotham."
"-so there was probably a bunch more. Belle Reve's so fa away from their usual stompin' grounds they can't get the leverage."
"Plus all those security measures Waller's put in."
"Them too. I dunno. Maybe if Arkham gawt as much money as Belle Reve does they could do bettah as well. And it's not really the same sorta thing. T' get int' Arkham ya have t' be legally insane. We get the medication roight and keep them away from othah drugs and some of them might be able t' live in normal society. Maybe. In Belle Reve, they've all decided not to."
"But at the same time, there's a rational mind to relate to. We can persuade them."
"I wasn't shewah bringing up Lenny's mom was such a great idea, but you pulled it owof."
"It's the contrast. At that point he thought I was basically bribing him to behave himself. That doesn't really work by itself. I mean, he'd probably have done the dissertation without much nudging because he didn't have anything better to do-."
"But unless he confronts his underlying issues-."
"Right. And I wasn't going to give him his dad's address."
"How'd you find out alla that stuff?"
I shrug. "Central City Police, the Flash. Finding her address was a little harder but I had a scan of Mister Snart's DNA… Both Mister Snarts."
"I dunno what the Central City social woykers were thinkin', leaving him someplace like that."
"Taking a child into care is a last resort thing. Once his grandfather died there wasn't really anywhere else they could put him. And that's if they even knew about it."
She takes another stickful of noodle, then hesitates. "Do you know things abowt other people?"
"You mean, do I know that your mother is effectively raising your niece and nephew due to your brother being a deadbeat? Yes, I know that. And so does Waller, it was part of your background check."
"Huh." She looks away. "How 'bout that."
"I generally know the worst and best about everyone. I wasn't joking when I said that I can see into people's souls. I generally know why people do things-."
She looks back at me, comprehension dawning. "And… When you know why they do it-."
"You can't help but sympathise. Up to a point."
She nods. "Strange was roight about me, yah'know. Dad bein' inside when I was growin' up… That's why I hooked ont' him like I did. Wasn't even the first time I did something like thayat. There was a teacher at Gotham U…"
"What happened?"
"Oh… Nothin' I didn't sign up fowah." She sighs. "I'm jus' kickin' myself for not realisin' soownah."
I reach across the table and put my right hand on her left. "Hey. Knowing is.. half the battle."
She grins. "Oh, you did not just say that."
"So the trick is.. to never spend any time with a man ever again."
"Hey!"
"I know this great island-."
"Jus-. No. I ain't gunna give up an awl guys just causa that. Jus' gotta-" She smiles. "-find somebody who ain't a jerk."
"A sensible aim. My only concern.. is that there are quite a few people in Belle Reve who fit your 'absent father figure' category."
"Oh, I'm so ovah that." She looks away for a moment. "Um, hey, I hewd abowt what you and Jade did in Vietnam. Looks like she's really turned a cowner."
"Whitemail."
She thinks for a moment. "You tricked her into doin' it so she couldn't go crooked again?"
"That was part of it. Assassins need all sorts of support infrastructure to operate-."
"And now she can't get it. So the two of you aren't…" She waves the forefinger of her free hand back and forth.
"No, that… We're friends, but that wouldn't be appropriate."
"Huh. How 'bout that."
(And what gap are you talking about anyway?)
