Strangely Enough...

He smiled at you, opening his door wider to let you in. "Come in, Mr. Shadow. Come in." You walk in, looking around at the decor: things like framed pictures of farms and the countryside, and a decorative cornucopia on the dining room table, filled with fake fruits and vegetables. All of this made it feel like the inside of a farmhouse: more house, less farm...

"May I offer you some freshly-brewed tea?" Crane called from the kitchen. "I just put a pot on."

"Yes, thanks," you replied. You enter the kitchen and saw him grabbing the teapot handle with a folded dish rag. The stove used to heat the water was old-fashioned, with a fire stove. A bit standoffish to you, but he seemed content with simpler living. He first put the teabags in your cups, then poured the hot water into the cups. As you sat at the table, watching the water change color, he sat across from you.

"I can guess why you're here, Shadow." You scrunch your face a bit, facing Crane. "I know of you. Miss Isley wasn't silent about you, howling your name every minute of the hour..." He chuckled and quietly sipped some of his tea, looking at you. "And I was fascinated of how anyone can convert a woman so dedicated to the floral kingdom."

"Let's not get off topic," you told him. "You said you guessed what I was doing here." You were not in the mood for past business.

"Ah, yes," he smiled. "I imagine that my release from Arkham, given my shady past, was bound to raise an eyebrow or two." He frowned, seeming to stare at his tea. Or his reflection in it... "Doctors Bartholomew and Leland helped me understand that what I was doing as the Scarecrow was not only a waste of my previous 'talents,' as it were, but that I brought naught but misery and suffering to the people around me."

"You honestly expect me to believe that you're reformed?" You got annoyed, tightly gripping your cup with both hands. "You, the so-called lord of despair, the master of fear? Fear has become your whole life."

"Enough!" he yelled. There was a period of silence, minus his quickened breaths of annoyance. "Listen to me. The creature I was frightens me today. He is an irredeemable maniac, obsessed with fear's crippling power. ... I simply wish to lead a simple life: a home, a loving family someday, and a good job. I want to make right what he made wrong!" It was hard to believe, but you felt pity-- sympathy for Dr. Jonathan Crane.

"I have you on camera buying too many stamps," you called out. "Who do you intend to send mail to?"

"My family..." You couldn't believe that he'd want to reconnect after all he'd done. "I have many relatives I previously have cut off from before I taught at Gotham University. I am hopeful that they will forgive me, accept me once more." Honestly, you weren't too sure that they would, but some part of you wanted to believe Crane wanted a better life.

"Well..." You then took a gulp of your tea before continuing. "For sake, I hope that's what you're up to." You excused yourself from the table, bidding goodbye to Crane and wishing him luck.

"Goodbye, Shadow." He then sipped some more of his tea, grinning to himself. "Goodbye..."

As soon as you got outside, you felt... lightheaded. Dizzy... "What...?"

Something strange was happening to you...