At Arkham Police Department, Jason finished his homework under the watchful stares of two strange uncles wearing ingratiating, fawning expressions.
He grabbed his backpack, entered the gym across from the police station, opened the refrigerator with practiced ease, took out a late-night snack that had not yet frozen solid, and headed upstairs.
"Mr. Nygma, did you skip dinner again?"
Jason pushed open the door, hung his backpack on the bookshelf, and called out to the busy Nygma while carrying the snack.
Although Nygma always called him stupid, Jason still liked the eccentric Riddler. At least Nygma did not insult people because of their background or anything else.
"Oh... you're back?" Nygma looked up amid his work and glanced over. "I hope the education at school can evolve your brain at least a little. Based on your age, you have a good chance... of becoming one-tenth as smart as me."
"Heh heh..." Jason took it as a compliment, put the snack into the microwave, then sat at a desk by the window and picked up a thick tome.
Then he leaned over the desk and copied out the poems inside. When he reached one particular line, Jason read it aloud:
"Since your tiny life came into this world from nothing, there is nothing to lose... Mr. Nygma."
Jason turned to look at Nygma, who was transcribing and decoding something.
"When my teacher asked me to introduce myself, she asked what my dream for the future was. I couldn't answer... and everyone laughed at me."
"That's normal. A so-called dream is just imagination within a dream. If you want, I can have Miao Mu recommend you for law school, or help you become a politician... or that damned archaeologist!"
Nygma flew into a rage, threw an archaeology book onto the floor, and