Now that was a good fight

Jerome tossed the ugly pink cushion behind him, rose from the couch, and walked toward Bruce, one step at a time.

"Sweet little baby, do you miss your mommy and daddy?"

He stopped in front of Bruce, close enough for them to see every twitch of muscle in each other's faces. "Why don't I bring them here too? Then all three of you can play games with me."

Bruce tightened his grip on the broom.

His arm muscles tensed. He swung the balding broom aside and lunged at Jerome.

The two men crashed together, Jerome's laughter and Bruce's curses spilling out in bursts as they grappled.

Ririko quickly ducked aside.

Before the reset, she had seen the Joker and Batman wage war in Gotham.

It had been on the main thoroughfare at the very heart of the city. The buildings on both sides had been blasted into rubble, flames had stained the sky orange-red, and the Joker had stood laughing atop an overturned truck as Batman emerged from the smoke...

The two had traded high-tech attacks, their battle shaking heaven and earth like two mythical beasts tearing into each other.

But she had never seen anything like this-

Two fresh-faced young hotties wrestling barehanded on the floor.

Jerome grabbed Bruce's skirt, his fingers clenching the black lace trim and exposing a stretch of pale thigh...

Bruce tugged at Jerome's shirt, his knuckles hooked into the fabric below Jerome's collarbone. He pulled the purple shirt out of his waistband, exposing a lean, well-defined waist...

Their legs tangled together as they rolled halfway across the peanut-shell-covered tiles. Dust smeared Jerome's red hair, and Bruce's maid headband slipped crookedly to one side...

They panted, their young bodies producing dull thuds of colliding joints as they grappled...

Ririko swallowed. Now that was a good fight...

The Clown Army outside heard the commotion and rushed in.

Several of them hauled Bruce off Jerome in a flurry of hands, pinning Bruce's arms behind his back.

There was a split at the corner of his mouth, blood seeping from the wound.

Jerome climbed to his feet, dust and fragments of peanut shells clinging to his red hair. His shirt had been pulled open, and several nail scratches marked his pale chest.

"If you dare touch my parents," Bruce snarled, "I swear I won't let you get away with it."

Jerome stood in front of Bruce, his head tilted and his eyes brimming with manic amusement.

"And how are you going to stop me? Hit me with your broom again?"

Bruce's eyes burned, his dark irises like black clouds churning before a storm.

He struggled in the Clown Army's grip, then was marched away.

Satisfied after watching two handsome guys fight, Ririko turned and headed for the door.

"Don't go."

Jerome's voice came from behind her.

Ririko stopped and turned around.

Jerome stood in the middle of the Recreation Room, peanut shells still tangled in his red hair.

"What is it?" Ririko asked.

Jerome pouted. He thought it over, running through every excuse he could come up with-

I want a late-night snack. I haven't finished watching TV. There are still peanut shells on the floor. I'm bored here all by myself...

"It hurts," he finally said.

Ririko stared at him.

She didn't believe a menace like him could have been hurt by Bruce in a maid outfit.

"Where does it hurt?"

Jerome felt around his body, then held up his right pinky.

"Here."

Ririko gave a cold little laugh.

She approached him, brought her lips close to his pinky, and gently blew on it.

"Does it still hurt?"

Jerome studied his pinky as though he had never seen it before.

[Current infatuation value: 15/100]

"A little," he said, looking at her pleadingly.

Ririko turned and walked toward the door.

Even though she knew he wanted her to stay, she didn't look back.

If I fall for Red-Haired Dog's tricks, it'll only get harder to leave.

In the middle of the night, the sound of a car engine woke Ririko.

She looked out through the window of her princess-themed room and saw a car driving away from the Old Amusement Park.

She recognized Jerome's beat-up little car.

Red-Haired Dog had sneaked out in the middle of the night.

She recalled the report she had seen on television earlier: Wayne Enterprises was in the midst of an internal power struggle.

Her deduction was probably right.

With Bruce in Jerome's hands, Wayne Enterprises would be like a machine stripped of its central gear.

That CEO, William Earn, who dressed like a gentleman but was anything but, stood to gain the most from this power struggle.

It made her suspect that Red-Haired Dog and the bastard CEO were working together.

She leaned on the windowsill, wondering how she could get past that bunch of idiotic Clown Army members and escape.

Suddenly, a shaggy head popped up outside the window.

Ririko startled, jerking back half a foot.

The head wore goggles and looked like a cat in the moonlit shadows.

[Core Character: Selina Kyle has entered effective range]

[Current infatuation value: 1/100]

Selina glanced around the room, then braced both hands on the edge of the windowsill and lightly vaulted into Ririko's room like a cat.

She wore a black jacket and fitted black leather pants. Her boots seemed custom-made, landing on the floor without a sound.

"Hi there." Selina winked at her, her blue eyes like two cat's-eye gemstones set into her face.

Ririko lowered her voice. "Who are you?"

She had to pretend she didn't recognize her, or she might scare off this uninvited little stray cat.

"Don't worry," Selina whispered. "I'm Selina. I'm here to find you."

After waiting so long, Ririko hadn't expected a blonde Catwoman to show up-not for Bruce or Sofia, but for her.

"Do you know me? Who sent you to find me?" she continued asking Selina.

Selina's gaze shifted from Ririko's face to her long hair.

"Strange and Cobblepot are both looking for you, but Strange said your left eye was blind." She tilted her head slightly. "How come it's fine now?"

Ririko didn't want to let this rare chance to escape slip away.

"Gotham's a remarkable place full of talented people. My eye's been cured. Hurry up and get me out of here."

Selina shook her head slyly.

"No can do."

"Why not?" Ririko frowned. "Aren't you here to find me?"

"And I found you." Selina spread her hands. "All I have to do is take that news back, and I get paid. If you want me to cross Jerome, forget it."

Ririko looked at the blonde Catwoman and thought she really was a shrewd one.

She would one day become Gotham City's most famous jewel thief, never failing a job or putting herself in even the slightest danger.

"You're already here. At least take someone with you... Sofia would do too. If you take her back to the Falcone Family, you can get an even bigger reward."

Ririko was thinking of the million Sofia had promised her.

Selina considered it, but ultimately refused.

"No. None of you can climb the Castle like I can."

Ririko gritted her teeth. If Selina took this news back, Hugo or Oswald would come rushing over.

But she didn't want to see either of those two again.

She couldn't be dragged back. She had to get that million, get into Gotham University, and win Bruce over.

Seeing that Selina was about to leave through the window, she had a sudden idea and said:

"If you take the news back now, you only get paid once. Besides, they're all vicious criminals. Whether they'll actually pay you... that's hardly guaranteed."

She saw Selina frown. Apparently, she was worried about getting paid too.

"But... if you can find a secret passage out of this Castle, both the Wayne family and the Falcone Family will reward you generously. Then you'll get paid three times."

Counting on Selina loving money as much as she did, she appealed to her feelings and reasoned with her.

A calculating gleam flashed in Selina's clear blue eyes.

"What makes you think there's a secret passage here?"

"This is an amusement park. There have to be staff passages," she coaxed Selina. "You can definitely find a way to get everyone out."