Chapter 2: The Coffee Shop
Darkness, the very foundation of this city, was like a thick, gray-black cloth. The streets, which grew desolate and silent just after nine, had streetlights that seemed dimmer than anywhere else. The faint glow from each lamp was like a firefly struggling in the cold, dark night.
This was Gotham.
A Steel Jungle disguising itself as a place of Civilization. Here, even blood ran cold.
A sturdily built man walked through the unsettlingly dim district as if treading through the dark Great Hall where an ancient god lay buried, the streetlights on both sides like torches for a Sacrifice Ceremony.
Only at the end of the street was there a hint of faint warmth. It came from a Coffee Shop, perhaps the only place in the surrounding blocks that felt safe.
It was a new shop, opened just a few months ago. The man had heard the owner was named Orin Vale, apparently a Chinese man, and surprisingly young for someone with his reputation in the nearby Community.
He seemed to be an outsider who had only just arrived in Gotham this year. But unlike most outsiders who were quickly deterred by the... welcoming nature of Gotham's populace within a week, he had quickly integrated into the Community, running a Cafe here.
On the surface, he was just an affable businessman who could maintain a friendly and kind rapport with anyone. And interestingly, he seemed very good at persuading others.
It was said that when the shop first opened, there had been some minor friction with the Gangs on the nearby streets. But later, the Gang members all clarified that it was just a misunderstanding. They had a great relationship with Mr. Orin, and there had never been any talk of Conflict.
Interestingly, the neighbors had all noticed that the Gang activity, which had been entrenched in the area, had decreased over the past few months. It seemed they hadn't been coming around to collect the Protection Fee as much either.
No one ever explicitly stated why, but rumors always circulated that it might be related to the new Coffee Shop that had opened on this street.
And the man's Target tonight was this very Coffee Shop.
He stopped at the entrance and looked up, seeing the eye-catching Signboard adorned with neon lights that read "HISHE".
"Sorry, we're closed for the day."
The young owner walked out, wearing his usual gentle and infectious smile.
"I'm so sorry to disturb you this late, Mr. Orin," the man said nervously. "You probably don't remember me."
"Of course, I do, Mr. Grimm. A cappuccino with a little sugar yesterday, correct?"
"Ah, you remember me." Mr. Grimm's face lit up with joy. "It's like this, I need your help."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Have you heard of..."
He glanced left and right as he spoke, lowering his voice as if afraid of being overheard.
"...Batman?"
Orin Vale replied, "The Urban Legend that just started circulating a few days ago, right? I've heard a little."
"It's not a legend, it's real. I saw him with my own eyes," Grimm's face twisted, and he said in a low voice, "My son... he might have been kidnapped by that Monster."
Orin Vale paused for a moment before asking, "By Batman?"
"Yes," Grimm nodded with certainty.
"Alright... well, since it's a kidnapping, it should fall under the jurisdiction of the Gotham City Police Department. Have you considered reporting it?"
"Of course, I have." A look of resentment appeared on Grimm's face. "But they don't care at all, they even laughed at me!"
"Laughed at you?" Orin Vale was a little surprised.
It was certainly plausible that the GCPD (Gotham City Police Department) of this era wouldn't do their job. After all, their main policy for dealing with the Underworld these days was "the police and bandits are one big family." The Commissioner spent five out of seven days a week at nightclubs run by the Underworld, one day for his duties at home with his wife, and the other day recuperating and building up his strength.
But to laugh at someone seemed a bit much, even by this City's standards.
"Yeah," Grimm said angrily. "I said it was Batman who did it, and those two cops just started laughing! They wouldn't stop! I confronted them, but they wouldn't admit it, saying they were professionally trained and wouldn't laugh no matter how funny something was..."
"Unless they couldn't help it?" Orin Vale interjected.
The man stared with wide, ox-like eyes, blinking a few times as he looked at him in astonishment.
"How did you know?"
"A guess, a coincidence. Please, continue."
"Later, I asked him what was so funny, and he said his wife had just given birth..."
"Ahem, no, we can skip this part. I mean, about Batman taking your child," Orin Vale coughed.
"It was like this, my son is in the eighth grade. He was on his way home from school that day... and then that thing suddenly descended from the sky! It spread its massive wings, flying down like a bat Monster, and snatched poor Jack with its sharp claws before flying away with him. His classmates saw it from a distance, my poor Jack..."
"So you didn't see it yourself, correct?" Orin Vale asked.
"No... but that's not important, his classmate saw it," the man said emotionally. "And this isn't the first time. Several children have gone missing from our Community in the last few days, and more than one witness has identified that Batman! It's not some baseless rumor, it's real! He's a pervert who snatches children, a Demon!"
"Alright, calm down, have some water, sir."
Orin Vale handed a glass of water to him. The man's face was flushed from his agitation, and it took him a while to calm down.
"So, why did you come to me? As you can see, I'm just a businessman..."
"That's what everyone says. In this Community, if you're ever at your wit's end with something, you can always find Mr. Orin at the Cafe."
Orin Vale's expression turned odd. "Who's been spreading such strange things? Makes me sound like some kind of Godfather. I'm a perfectly respectable businessman."
"They say the kid from the Azure Dragon Gang who came to collect the Protection Fee had his legs broken here..."
"Nonsense. He fell on his own, it had nothing to do with anyone else," Orin Vale said decisively.
"The Leader of the Azure Dragon Gang boasted he would level this place, and the next morning he found his beloved Car crumpled into a ball of scrap metal..."
"A typical case of rumor-mongering and exaggeration. He ran a red light and crashed it himself."
"Then, I heard the Leader of the Iron Mask Gang personally led his men here, charging in aggressively, but they fled in terror within minutes and never dared to set foot in this district again..."
"Oh, that friendly gentleman. He's quite a nice person, and his men were very reasonable. I served him a cold brew, we had a nice chat, and I reasoned with him a little. He was very receptive and left with his men on his own."
Grimm: "..."
*As if he'd just leave on his own after you "reasoned with him a little."*
That was the Iron Mask Gang, the local tyrants who had terrorized these streets for years. A group of classic, violence-loving thugs that all the neighbors would cross the street to avoid. And in your telling, they became polite, well-mannered, civilized people?
Of course, Gotham was a place with no shortage of urban legends. The Natives of Gotham grew up hearing stories including, but not limited to, a pale circus Joker and rumors of the Court of Owls hiding in the corners. Having heard so many, they naturally developed a resistance to them.
So while most neighbors felt the rumors were likely exaggerated, no one would deny that Mr. Orin had his own set of skills in the art of "reasoning." Many neighbors were even inclined to believe he might have practiced Traditional Kung Fu, which wasn't exactly rare in Gotham.
"As I said, I'm a legitimate businessman, always law-abiding, and I've never crossed any lines."
Orin Vale paused, thinking for a moment.
"However, my shop is always full of people from all walks of life, so sometimes my information network is decent. I'll help you keep an eye out. If I happen to hear anything, I'll let you know."
Grimm understood this to be a tactful agreement and was instantly overjoyed. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Orin! As long as I can get my Jack back, I'm willing to pay any price! I can go borrow money right now—"
"No need, no need. I'll just do my best to keep an eye out, I can't guarantee I'll find any Clue," Orin Vale said softly. "And if I'm lucky enough to hear something, I won't need you to pay with money, or any other great price.
"I only require a small, insignificant Remuneration."
Grimm held his breath, bewildered and nervous, waiting for what was to come.
Orin Vale smiled and said.
"...Your gratitude."
(end of chapter)