video!

[princeofrats]

So, uh...

[ Mouse isn't very good at being on camera. He keeps fidgeting and glancing away, down at the rats huddled in his lap and resting on his bare shoulders. A thin tail flicks in front of the camera, and after some encouraging squeaks, Mouse speaks up again, sounding a little more sure of himself. ]

It's getting colder outside, and lots of rats are moving indoors and trying to stay warm. If you see any, don't freak out, and don't call the exterminators or set up traps, okay? I can come get them, and find them a better place to stay.

[ There's a 90% chance that this 'better place' will end up being his bedroom. Sorry, roomies! ]

If you want to be nice, try giving them some baked pumpkin seeds. Not too many though, or they'll get sick.

... I'm Mouse, by the way. Probably should have said that earlier.

Comments

[aboveand]

Uh... no. He was stalking her, leaving her flowers that she thought was from me, then used his giant rats to kidnap her outside of where we were going to meet on a date.

[A date he was over an hour late for because Mad Stan just had to wreck a library that night.]

Yeah, I am. You?

Come to think of it, how many of us are from Gotham, anyway? For a place that grabs people across what Iv'e heard is an infinite number of universes, I've run into a really high number of people that are from or have heard of Gotham.

[princeofrats]

Man, giant rats would be cool. If they were big enough, you could ride them.

[ Point: missed. ]

I'm from Coral City, it's a few miles away from Gotham. Maybe there are just lots of different Gothams?

[aboveand]

Somehow I don't think that was on Dana's mind when she was trapped down there.

And they all just happen to have a Batman?

[princeofrats]

Can you picture a Gotham without a Batman? It's like imagining peanut butter in a world where crackers didn't exist.

[aboveand]

I used to... but I've recently come to realize that Gotham needs a Batman.

I see I'm late to the party on that one.

[princeofrats]

I think it'd implode into some kind of weirdness black hole otherwise. It might already be one.

[aboveand]

I feel like I should defend my city here but I've got nothing.

[He'll leave out the fact Gotham didn't have one for about 20 years. The old man wouldn't want people to know.]

[princeofrats]

Sorry. Your city is full of weirdos.

[aboveand]

Nah, I'm with you. Still, Gotham's pretty schway when the weirdos aren't destroying things.

[princeofrats]

... I don't know what that 'schway' word means.

[aboveand]

It's... It's, you know, like when something is great. It's like... oh man what did my mom say back when she was a kid...

[Give him a moment...]

Cold? No. Cool! That was it. Gotham's pretty "cool" when the weirdos aren't destroying things.

[He says cool with a slight wrinkle in his nose. He feels like a twip saying that.]

[princeofrats]

[ Terry just gets a long, skeptical look before Mouse has that lightbulb moment. ]

... Are you from the future? Like with jetpacks? 'Cause we still say 'cool' where I'm from, but I'm pretty sure nobody I know is old enough to be your mom.

[aboveand]

Oh! Uh, yeah. Still really weird for me to think about, but yeah, I am.

No jetpacks, though. They really aren't as functional as you'd think.

[princeofrats]

I always kinda thought they'd just roast your legs. Rocket boots make way more sense.

[aboveand]

Pretty much. On both counts. Rocket boots are way more sensible.

[princeofrats]

Do they have rocket boots in the future?

[aboveand]

They're not something you can buy in a store or anything, but yeah, they exist.

[They're in his batsuit, after all.]