"If you're not chanting, do you have a problem with the great Mr. Joker? It's all right. Say it."
The veteran gang member wearing a purple afro mask cracked his knuckles, making the threat plain.
"I... I don't..."
The young recruit was clearly terrified and wanted to escape, but he was surrounded by members of the Joker Gang. Where could he possibly run?
"It's all right, child. The Joker Gang welcomes every lost lamb," the leader said softly, his tone carrying an almost priestly compassion. "You may leave."
Delight appeared on the young man's face. "R-really?"
"Of course." The leader slowly stepped down, his voice gentle.
"You're tired, aren't you? Living like a puppet every day, going through the motions, following the rules. They say you're good, that you're mature, but that fire inside you is almost smothered, isn't it? I know what you want-you want to tear apart everything holding you back. You want to scare the people who look down on you out of their wits."
The leader's voice seemed to hold a strange magic, like a siren's lure. "Don't be afraid. There really is nothing to fear. Chaos isn't destruction. It's liberation. Madness isn't sickness. It's awakening. Just follow me, follow this laughter, and you'll find your true self."
The leader slowly stroked the young man's cheek, then pulled up the corners of his mouth into a laughing smile.
"What have they given you? A few words of praise? A badge? Or endless rules to follow? You could stand so much higher. You could make all of Gotham remember your name! Come on, smile. Laugh out loud, and you'll be free."
As the young man listened to the leader's voice, his initial trembling resistance gradually gave way to a dazed look.
"Laugh? All I have to do...