I am the night

"I was waiting for you at the church, but you were taking much longer to get back than I expected." Batman intercepted Roland beside a dim alley.

"So you were the one who bailed me out. Thanks." Roland nodded in gratitude, then explained, "A lot happened on the way back. There wasn't much I could do about it."

"Do you know where you are?" Batman suddenly asked.

Roland shook his head.

"This is Gotham City's East End. Gotham City is the most dangerous place in the United States, and the East End is the most dangerous part of Gotham. Do you know what that alley up ahead is called?" Batman's voice was low. "Crime Alley."

Roland made the sign of the cross over his chest to pay his respects to Batman's parents. "So that explains it. I was wondering why there were so many Mob thugs and people carrying guns along the way."

They had barely exchanged a few words when a string of gunshots rang out nearby, followed by a scream.

Batman immediately vanished from in front of Roland. Less than two minutes later, the gunshots stopped, but there were even more screams.

"So coming here without even carrying a gun is very dangerous." Batman soon reappeared before Roland and picked up where they had left off.

"...You really are a master of time management," Roland said in admiration.

"Get in my car. I need to ask you about some details of yesterday's incident on the subway." Batman led Roland to the Batmobile.

Roland's eyes lit up. As soon as he sat down, he lowered his voice to a gravelly growl. "I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!"

"...What are you doing?"

"Cosplaying Batman... Anyway, what were you going to ask?" With the real deal right there, Roland sounded a little embarrassed.

"About what happened on the subway... Walk me through the events first. I'll ask about the details afterward."

"Okay. First, not long after we left, we found a severed limb..."

"A severed limb? An arm or a leg? Left or right?" Batman asked.

"A left arm. I was going to take it to the police station, but I was worried I'd scare people on the way, so I put it back where it was."

"All right. What happened next?"

"Then we took the subway. We saw a bunch of punk kids there, so we boarded a car farther away from them..." Roland gave a full account of everything that had happened on the subway.

Batman interjected with a few questions at appropriate moments, all about things the police had not covered during their questioning.

"Good. That's everything I needed to know," Batman said, satisfied.

"I've been talking for half an hour... You really focus on some weird stuff," Roland couldn't help saying. "My throat's dry. Got any water?"

"Only coffee."

"Then I'll pass." Roland looked at the coffee in the car. The color alone told him how bitter it would be.

"Then get out. I have work to do," Batman said.

"Come on, can't you at least drive me home?"

"I called you a car. It's parked up ahead. The driver will take you back."

"Fine..." With his hopes of a ride in the Batmobile dashed, Roland couldn't help sighing.

It was already eight in the morning when he returned to the church. Roland pushed the door open and found Jason eating breakfast inside.

"Morning." Jason greeted Roland. "How'd you get out so fast? I thought they'd keep you in there for at least ten days or a couple of weeks."

"Batman posted bail, so they let me out early," Roland said. "I didn't know you could cook."

"All right." Roland went into the kitchen too and cooked himself a bowl of noodles.

"These noodles aren't going to last us long. Got any plans?" Jason asked.

"First, invite your friends over for a meal. Then we'll figure out how to make money," Roland said between mouthfuls of noodles.

"Sure..."

"By the way, how do you usually make money?"

"Steal cars and sell them to repair shops," Jason said.

"That should pay pretty well, right?"

"Barely anything. The guys at the repair shops are crooks. They drive the price way down." Jason shook his head. "And it's not like I can refuse to sell. Half the time, I can't even get a hundred dollars for a car."

"What a rip-off." Roland had guessed the price would be low, but not that low.

"They probably do it because I'm young," Jason said with a sigh. "Besides, it's illegal business. I can't exactly make a fuss about it..."

"So that's how it is."

"Other than that, I do odd jobs. Those don't pay much either, and there aren't many jobs that'll take kids," Jason said. "But now that you mention it, that reminds me. We've got a chance to make some money in a few days."

"How?" Roland asked.

"Valentine's Day is coming up, right? We can pick wild roses outside the city and sell them," Jason said after a moment's thought. "We'll target couples that day. Like this: 'Mister, would you like to buy a bunch of roses for this pretty lady?' It usually works."

"...You can even do the cutesy voice." Roland's mouth twitched.

"But we have to get there early. We'll be in trouble if someone else picks all the roses first," Jason said. "We even got into a fight over it last year... Oh, right, you're single, aren't you? Come with us this time. If anyone tries to take our flowers, you can smash their balls."

Roland's face darkened. "What kind of thing is that to say? What makes you think I'm single?"

"If I saw you standing with someone on Valentine's Day, all I'd say is, 'Sir, would you like to buy Grandma a bunch of carnations?'"

"You little brat. What do you know?" Roland rolled his eyes.

"So are you free to pick flowers with me on Valentine's Day?"

"...Yes."

February 14.

Roland went out early and picked every wild rose he could find outside the city. Jason called all his friends over, and they wrapped the bouquets in packaging that looked reasonably presentable. Once night fell, they started approaching people to sell them.

"It's one thing if you don't want to sell flowers yourself, but why drag me along?" Jason asked Roland.

"They can handle the selling. I need to do what a man ought to do on Valentine's Day." Roland's expression turned solemn. "On this joyous day, there must be lonely young women in need of my warm companionship. As the Lord's messenger, this is my sacred duty. I must follow in Saint Valentine's footsteps, for love..."

"...In plain English."

"I'm going to pick up girls."