"Eventually, he and I came to an understanding.
He agreed he would confront his past and use his future position to better the city.
That was over a decade ago.
My employment came a while later; I'm surprised he didn't recognize me.
Then again, they never do."
"Throughout my time here observing them, many of the people have piqued my interest from time to time.
My employer is one of those people.
He's been called a criminal mastermind and one of Gotham's most notorious mobsters.
A fair assessment.
But I saw the potential."
"I visited him on occasionโsometimes in thoughts, sometimes in dreams.
I enjoyed our talks.
We spoke about giving back to a city he had taken so much from.
We mainly focused on charities and other ways to help children, especially orphans and homeless kids."
@BeforeTheLaughs +
โBut Gotham doesnโt always make it that easy, does it?โ
Her expression calm, a subtle spark of empathy in her eyes.
"In a city like this, exits aren't always doors. Sometimes they're windows you have to shatter.
Question is, what's the glass made of that's keeping you in?"
@BeforeTheLaughs Dawn returns, taking her spot behind the bar after a brief exchange with a customer.
She wipes her hands on the towel before leaning on the bar again.
โMaybe finding the exit is as simple as stepping out,โ she says softly, eyeing Harleyโs glass to see if it needs a refill.
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@AntheaVampire +
She makes brief eye contact, then gives the other end of the bar a quick scan before continuing to wipe it down.
"I honestly wouldn't know what 'ordinary' looks like. We're all different in some way."
@AntheaVampire Dawn glances over, pulling the towel from her shoulder.
โI pour for anyone who wants a drink,โ she replies, starting to wipe the bar with practiced ease, erasing the faint rings left by earlier patrons.
โWhether theyโre human, crocodile, Kryptonianโฆ or vampire.โ
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"Two years later, she met the then 25-year-old Charles.
He was known as the 'King of Bourges' at that time.
It was thanks to her that he gained the throne of France and set things right.
She was very brave and died at the age of nineteen.
But her legacy will live on forever."
"I remember one time my sister asked me to join her for a birth.
It was an important one, she said.
It was under his reign that the long war would end.
He had a rough go of it, though.
In 1420, his father disinherited him, and his succession wasn't set in stone."
"After seeing the repercussions this would have on the timeline, I decided to intervene.
I met Jeanne d'Arc in 1427.
She was only fifteen at the time.
We spoke, and I showed her what was to come and her role in it all."
@BeforeTheLaughs +
โCircles are sneaky like thatโthey keep you spinning so you donโt notice the exit right in front of you."
Dawn overhears another patron calling for her and pushes off the bar.
"Gimme just one sec," she says, raising an index finger before stepping away.
@BeforeTheLaughs "No, I'm just the bartender," she replies, a small, knowing smile touching her lips.
โIโve poured enough โnormalโ nights to know the fear is real.
And the cracking? Thatโs just the design reminding you itโs still alive.โ
Her eyes meet Harleyโs with quiet understanding.
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@BeforeTheLaughs + โSo maybe the real prescription isnโt fixing the head at all. Maybe itโs learning to wear the fracture like it was always part of the design.โ
@BeforeTheLaughs + "Even the ones with fancy degrees, the ones who know theyโre fucked in the head.
Theyโre the only ones still trying to keep the pieces from cutting everyone else, while everyone else just pretends the cracks arenโt there.โ
She lifts one shoulder in a half-shrug.
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