THEY WERE BLAMING THEMSELVES.
Not that this was anything new for The Bat-squad,they seem to make the art of grieving a sport.
Dick just stood there,not knowing what to do.He was astounded by what he just saw.
Batman,unmasked,choking The Joker into a near death.
A literal bloodbath,which almost went too far.
Barbara,willing to put herself in danger and face The Joker.
The Joker,spitting out what seemed to be GALLONS of blood,before swinging an axe and going out cold.
And Nightwing......not being able to do anything about it.
"It was MY fault"
Thats what he WOULD'VE said,had he not come to his senses in time.
It wasnt Bruces fault,and it wasnt Barbaras.........And It wasnt Dick's.
It was The Joker.
All of it.
EVERY STINKING BIT OF THIS WHOLE NIGHT WAS THE JOKERS FAULT.
Nightwing clinched his fists,growing with rage.
Barbara,with her head down,rolled back to her computer....not looking at The Joker,who was still knocked out cold.Nightwing knew she was going to break down any second,blaming herself for all of this.
Dick was confused at what to do.
First of all,The Jokers limp body lying on the floor,with blood flowing out of it,wasnt helping anything.
Second,Bruce had left.If Dick knew anything about his former mentor,it was where he always went after a long night such as this:
The Cave.
He had to do something.Bruce was going to tear himself up for this,no doubt,and He needed to be reassured that this wasnt his fault.Not that he'd listen,but it would do
some good.
And then,there was Barbara.She was,like Bruce,going to blame herself,and He needed to comfort her.
He was either going to stay here,and comfort Barbara..........Personally escort The Joker back to Arkham,and make SURE hes locked up.......Or Go to the cave,and hear the inevitable "It was my fault.....I need to be alone" stuff that Bruce always dished out after an event like this.
Police sirens could be heard coming from a few blocks away.
He made his decision.
He was staying.Theres no way that he was going to leave Barbara here with The Jokers body.
He walked over to Batmans hissing mask,and picked it up.
The acid had worn off,to a degree,as The lenses and the eyeholes melted into the nose piece.
It was almost a sort of.......closure,to this horrible night,as the face of Batmans mask melted away.
OOC:Nightwing never really,outloud,said "It was MY fault".........so dont quote him as saying that.
