[Third Person Pov]
Robin perched on the edge of the rooftop, arms crossed, staring down at Danny with a flat, unimpressed glare. Danny, completely unfazed, stood there cradling the giant bag of candy in his arms like it was a precious newborn, cheeks slightly puffed out as he continued sucking loudly on multiple lollipops at once.
"What?" Danny asked around the candy, his voice muffled but cheerful.
He offered the oversized bag forward with a casual tilt of his head. "Want some?"
Robin let out a long, weary sigh but still reached his hand inside anyway, fishing out a handful of sweets without a word.
Danny turned toward Ember with a smug, knowing grin splitting his face. "They always do."
Ember let out an amused snort, trying and failing to hide her smirk. Robin rolled his eyes dramatically and extended his hand toward Danny again, palm up. "Give it here."
"You want more?" Danny asked, blinking in genuine confusion as he offered the entire bag once more.
Robin clicked his tongue in irritation and stepped closer, reaching over to rummage through Danny's utility belt. He pulled out the small, oddly shaped device with practiced efficiency. "I obviously meant the Mad Hatter's device, Danny."
"Oh, then say that," Danny replied, adjusting his utility belt with exaggerated care and flashing a mischievous wink. "And thank you for respectfully keeping your hands above the waistline."
Robin didn't miss a beat. In one fluid, aggressive motion, he jumped and swung his feet in a sharp arc over Danny's head, clearly intending to knock some sense into the half-ghost. Instead, his boot phased straight through Danny's intangible skull with a faint, shimmering ripple. Danny just stood there staring back at him with that same infuriatingly smug expression, eyebrows raised in mock innocence.
Ember covered her mouth with one hand, shoulders shaking as she looked away, barely containing her laughter.
She shook her head, still chuckling, and finally asked, "So who exactly is this Mad Hatter?"
Danny's expression darkened immediately, his usual playful demeanor dropping into something colder. "He's a psycho pedophile with a twisted obsession for mind-controlling his victims—usually little girls named Alice. The creep's got a whole Wonderland fetish going on."
"They don't necessarily have to be named Alice," Robin added with a heavy sigh, turning the confiscated device over in his hands as he examined it closely under the dim rooftop lights. "Sometimes just looking the part is enough to set him off. He's delusional enough to force the resemblance if he has to."
"Ughhh, gross!" Ember exclaimed, her face twisting into a grimace of pure disgust as she recoiled slightly. "Why the heck would he want me?! I don't look like any Alice, and my name's nothing like it."
"Well, you do have a pretty voice," Danny speculated with a casual shrug, popping another piece of candy into his mouth. "Maybe that's his ideal version of Alice—someone who can really sing the songs in his messed-up head."
"Oh great," Ember grumbled, crossing her arms tightly over her chest in clear annoyance. "Just what I needed—for my music to reach the absolute worst kind of audience. Fantastic."
Ember and Danny both turned their attention to Robin, who was now crouched slightly, tinkering intently with the Mad Hatter's device using tools from his utility belt. His fingers moved with focused precision.
"What exactly are you doing?" Ember questioned carefully, leaning in alongside Danny to peer over Robin's shoulder.
"Trying to locate the Mad Hatter," Robin responded absentmindedly, his eyes never leaving his work. "There are usually two connected devices—a transmitter and a receiver. This one here is the receiver."
"And you're using the receiver to trace the signal back to the transmitter," Danny finished for him smoothly once the plan clicked into place. "Find the source of that signal, and you find where the Mad Hatter is hiding."
"Exactly," Robin confirmed, already typing rapidly on his wrist computer, the soft blue glow illuminating his focused features in the darkness.
After a few tense moments of silence broken only by the faint clicks and beeps of the device, Robin suddenly straightened up. "Bingo." He shut off the wrist computer with a decisive tap and reached back into his utility belt, pulling out a sleek pair of keys that glinted under the city lights.
"Oh, we're calling the bikes, huh?" Danny said, his eyes lighting up with pure excitement as he yanked out his own set of keys. "This night just keeps getting better and better."
Robin didn't hesitate. With practiced grace, he leaped off the rooftop, cape fluttering behind him as he dropped into the shadows below. After quickly securing the oversized bag of candy close to his chest, Danny flashed a wide grin and followed right after him.
…
Robin leaned against his motorcycle at the base of the building, the engine already purring softly as he waited. Danny approached with a playful bounce in his step, still carrying the oversized bag of candy.
"Well hello, my little ghost rider~" Danny said with a flirtatious lilt, swinging one leg over the seat of his sleek black motorcycle and settling in comfortably. He glanced back at Ember with a bright, expectant grin. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Ember rolled her eyes but couldn't quite hide the faint smirk tugging at her lips. She climbed on behind him, adjusting herself on the seat. "You really do love doing pointless things, you know. Damn it, we're probably faster while flying."
"Probably," Danny admitted with a light chuckle, shooting her a charming grin over his shoulder, his eyes sparkling with mischief under the streetlights. "But this is more fun… And have I seriously not given you a joyride yet? You were there during this baby's conception—that's totally my bad."
Ember just scoffed and circled her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer against his back. "Just hit the road and stop behaving like a doofus."
"Yes, ma'am," Danny replied with mock obedience, carefully settling the giant bag of candy in front of him for safekeeping. "Here, safety first."
He twisted around and gently placed a helmet over her head despite her loud groan of annoyance. Ember knew that Danny was well aware she didn't need one—ghosts and half-ghosts weren't exactly fragile—but Danny insisted anyway, his protective streak showing through even in the middle of their chaotic night.
Danny revved the engine with a satisfying roar, the motorcycle vibrating powerfully beneath them, and took off after Robin, who hadn't bothered waiting and was already speeding ahead into the Gotham night.
Underneath the helmet, Ember hid a soft grin. Despite all her complaints about it being pointless, she secretly enjoyed the chance to be this close to Danny. She closed her eyes, leaned her head against his broad, steady back, and let her arms hold his waist more contently as the wind rushed past them.
Danny activated his communicator with a quick tap, his voice crackling through to Robin. "So where exactly are we going? You never exactly specified."
"The city outskirts," Robin explained calmly over the comms, his voice steady even as he weaved through traffic. "It's where they normally set up carnivals and fairs, and that's where the transmitter signal was originating from. It's also one of the Mad Hatter's favorite haunts—there was once a big Alice in Wonderland attraction at a fair here. It's a no-brainer for him."
"Right," Danny sighed, following Robin's lead as they left the dense streets of Gotham behind and moved into the quieter, darker outskirts of the city. "Every bad guy really loves their theatrical flair."
They trekked through the streets for a few long minutes before they slowing to a stop as the fairgrounds came into view, both Robin and Danny voicing their confusion at the same time.
"What…?"
The site was far from abandoned. Bright, flashing lights painted the night in vivid pinks, blues, and golds. Colorful decorations—oversized teacups, playing card banners, and whimsical arches—made the entire space feel strangely alive and bustling despite the lack of visible crowds. A massive, ornate sign loomed above the entrance, its letters glowing cheerfully: Welcome to Alice in Wonderland!
"What's with the budget increase?" Danny asked in bewilderment as he killed the engine and slowly swung off the bike. Ember pulled the helmet off her head, shaking out her hair, and joined him and Robin as they stood staring at the eerily inviting entrance.
"Ahhh~"
A familiar chill ran down Danny's spine. Both Ember and Robin blinked as a thin trail of glowing blue mist escaped from Danny's mouth, curling into the cool night air.
"Well, that explains where the budget came from," Robin answered sarcastically, his hand instinctively moving toward his utility belt.
Danny looked between the two of them, his shoulders slumping in clear defeat as he let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Why can't it just be a normal bad guy for once? Why are ghosts always involved… I just want to kick the butt of a regular dude."
********************************************
+10 advance Chapters and my other patron exclusive content on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3