The night was fresh, and Duela felt like she was whole again. she had found her long lost sister, and they were going to make some noise. Dressed in her new Riddler's Daughter disguise, she and Enigma ran side by side across the rooftops, headed for the museum. There was a new exhibit on display, and they were after the new emerald crown that was held deep within the museum.

Duela whipped out her paraglider and flew her and Enigma across the gap to the museum rooftop. She shuddered when she landed; last time she had tried a rooftop entrance, she had nearly been gutted by razorbats. This time, however, she was in luck. No security.

Duela used a gadget to pry open the skylight, then she attached their harness system. She flipped down into the skylight and plummeted towards the ground. Before the harness could jerk to a stop, she released the clip, and with another flip she landed. She waited for Enigma, then they made their way through the museum. They had to stay quiet, otherwise some vigilante may overhear them. Gotham was full of those.

They cut the security, then things were home free. Duela started laughing loudly; now that they were in, things weren't so formal.

"Hey Enigma, when we get this crown, We'll be, like, royalty! Of course, we would have to compete with all those other clowns of Gotham, but who cares? We'll get our names out and steal some cred!"

They had reached the crown, and they pried open the case. Duela reached in, fully unaware of the silent alarm, and plucked it from its velvety pillow. Then she pulled off her hat, and tried the crown on.

Running with Duela again brought back some great times. The only thing that could ruin this was if some jackass vigilante showed up to spoil their fun. Enigma jumped on to Duela as she whipped out her paraglider and they sailed across to the museum rooftop. There was a new exhibit on display here …blah blah blah… and soon they would have a shiny new crown to play with. Enigma pictured the emerald beauty when she felt Duela shudder. Strange…oh well. I guess it’s nothing to worry about.

Enigma suited up in her harness and did a cannon-ball into the skylight. She swung herself down the cable, unclipped, and jumped off with a flip before she landed. When Duela cut the security, she started to giggled, which turned into a full blown laugh.

Duela started to talk about how royal they would be. That sounded like a great idea. Street cred again. Can’t wait!

Enigma smiled with her bright red lips as Duela pulled out the shiny new crown. Duela placed the beauty on her head. Enigma bowed in a jokingly.” Riddle me this. Why didn’t the king have a crown?......Because he was the king of NOTHING! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!”

Duela gave her the crown and she threw it on her head. Duela laughed at how lopsided it was, Enigma was about to laugh along with her, when she heard a noise behind them.

Since his return, Tim had found himself slipping more and more into who he'd used to be... And wishing more and more that he'd not ended his quest so soon. Maybe Bruce had returned, and disappeared again... Maybe it was true that Bruce was alive, but Tim had left for more than that... He'd left to find his place in the world, much like Dick had when he first took the role of Nightwing... Yet, it felt like he hadn't changed at all.

Heading towards a silent alarm set off in one of the local museums... Tim couldn't help but bring himself to hope that it wouldn't be the Joker this time... The clown had already been involved with Tim more than he'd liked since his return... First when he tried to kill various socialites in one of his 'shows', and the second time when he'd been forced to confront the man alongside a shapeshifting young woman. Of course... He'd be equally upset to find himself face to face once again with David Nioto, the young man whom he'd given a job within the Wayne Foundation in an attempt to turn him away from a life of thievery...

Moving silently in the night, Tim quickly found himself staring down at the roof of the museum from across the street. Leaping from his perch on the roof, Tim used his cape to gently glide onto the rooftop, before making his way to the new exhibit, where the alarm had been triggered. Looking down... He saw two familiar figures traipsing around, trading off wearing a priceless crown. Sighing in slight annoyance, Tim followed the path the two former Titans had taken, dropping silently to the ground below him.

As the two he'd once worked with began laughing at their nonsense jokes and riddles, Tim made his way to where they stood. "Why are you two here? Stealing? This is below former Titans, like yourselves. You were both good people... And, Duela, as memory serves, you were dead last I checked... In fact, I even promised to avenge your murder..."

For the second time since his return, Tim found himself facing good people, who'd made a bad choice. Hopefully, the two of them would listen to him, and prove willing to reason. If not... He'd be forced to take them in, and to let the cops deal with them, perhaps even send them to Arkham, if only for a time. Still... He had hopes he could reach them... If not both of them, at least Duela... In the past, she'd proven loyal to the Titans... Perhaps, somewhere, that loyalty still existed... As for Enigma... Tim could only hope for the best for the poor girl...

As soon as Duela heard the noise, she turned and saw one of Gotham's heroes. Just what she was avoiding. However, this one was different. He seemed to know them from somewhere. Then he asked why they were stealing, even though they were former Titans, the usual. It's what he said next that threw her through a loop. He thought she was dead still...and he even promised to avenge her murder. Well, at least someone cared that she had died.

"I'm so touched! When you see that Todd kid, that's who I remember chasing me into that alley where I was shot, so give him the beat down. Now, I was dead, but, I 'm back. Your friend Batgirl can attest to that, I'm sure, becase she was there the night I came back. As for the stealing..." Duela stopped midsentence. She didn't have to explain herself to bird boy here. Especially if she didn't know his name.

Furthermore, she didn't even truly know why she was stealing in the first place. Perhaps it was because she liked the thrill of it, or maybe just enjoyed the sister bonding time. Of course, there was also the hurt of losing her friends, hearing from nobody after they all risked their lives together.

Duela turned to look the newcomer in the face and prepared to ask a potentially lethal question.

"Hey, what's your name?"

Oh great. Someone came to spoil all the fun. Maybe next time they should break-in somewhere where there are no vigilantes. Then came the confusing part. Where did he know them from? Oh well. Who cares?

Duela started talking about how she died. It felt odd. Maybe I should have been there. Oh, wait. I was in Arkham at that time…What a hell hole. I can’t believe nobody liked ANY of my jokes. At least I have Duela now. She laughs at them… Does she really think they’re funny? She better. I laugh at her jokes. But then again, hers are almost as funny as mine. But not quite, because they’re her jokes and not mine. Do they just come naturally to her, or does she spend hours trying to come up with the best puns? Enigma started to adjust the crown on her head. But no matter which way she put it, it sat lopsided. She sighed. I bet this will match the necklace. That made her grin a little.

How did this freak know them? He really looked unfamiliar. Enigma studied his face. If he really knew them, she might be able to remember him. But nothing came. well, he wasn’t in the Titans East….what did we do before that?

That’s when Duela asked for his name. This was about to get really interesting.

Neither of the two seemed to recognize him, which made sense in a way. When they'd known him, they'd known him as Robin... His costume still had a Robin logo on it, but it wasn't the stylized 'R' it had once been... Now it was just an emblem on his cape and chest, seeming to act as a clasp to the cape. Given that it had been a few years, for both of them, it made sense they didn't recognize his voice... At least Duela seemed willing to try and listen to reason... He still wasn't sure on Enigma, and remember her remaining loyal to Titans East, he wasn't sure he'd believe her if she said she was willing to reason anyways. For now, he'd try to reach Duela, since if anyone would be able to reach Enigma, it would have to be the one Titan she'd always been close to.

Of course, hearing that she thought Todd was her killer was a shock to Tim. Yeah... Todd wasn't really on the same path as the Bat-Family... But he'd always claimed he was only trying to do good... Him killing killers, or drug dealers... It wasn't right, but his reasons could at least be seen, he didn't have the ability to believe in not sinking to their level... But at their worst, Duela and Enigma had their moments of slipping into the wrong crowd, like Titans East, or maybe doing a little bit of stealing, like they were now... Neither of those seemed like they'd be big enough for Todd to murder over... Of course, no one had known how Duela had died, only that she'd been found dead... So, there was always the chance, as unlikely as it seemed...

"I'll look into it, Duela... But, there's never been any evidence it was Todd... I even heard he took the same vow to avenge you... As for Batgirl... She didn't mention it to me. Sorry I couldn't have been there when you returned to help you back into things..."

"As for what my name is... It's Red Robin, now... But when you two knew me, it was Robin, and you were both members of the Teen Titans, helping the world... Until Slade Wilson turned you on your friends... According to Raven, Duela, you ended up helping the Titans in the end... While Enigma refused to help her former team, working with Slade till the end... But neither of you were bad people... Why turn to petty crime? What good does it do you? There's better you could be doing... You could be helping people, not hindering them..."

As soon as she heard his name she cracked. She had almost been listening to the speech about how Todd had somehow been sorry for her death, then she heard Robin's newest name.

She tried to control her laughter. "RED Robin...like the restaurant!?! YUM!!! Hahahahaha"
All reasonable thought left her head, instead filling her mind with all of the possible jokes that came to her.

Then he mentioned, again, how she should help people instead of hinder them. This annoyed her greatly. How unfair, to save the world from a giant octopus thing, that would have plunged the world into darkness and chaos, only to be abandoned. So what if hurting those who hurt her made her feel better? It wasn't as if this trinket was being used at all. All the purpose of it was to sit there and look pretty.

"You think that I haven't helped the world? Look where it got me burger boy! I get shot, which I might add hurts a lot, and then I am left with nothing. Nobody cares about the Joker's Daughter, so what does it matter that Enigma and I take a small little trinket that nobody's using?"

oops. So much for not letting Robin here known everything. Oh well, it was nice to yell at somebody and get that off. However, now Enigma knows a lot more than I intended as well...

“Uh..? Pe-tty cr-ime?” Enigma was offended. Petty would be something stupid, like stealing candy. This was perfectly respectable. “Just so happens, this little heist will grab quite a few headlines. Thank you very much, Burger Boy…and one more thing. Can I get a side of fries?”

Enigma let loose a fit of laughter. I mean, if they HAD to send someone to stop them, at least it was someone funny. Not that he was cracking any good jokes. That was pretty much all up to the Riddlers’ daughters.

The hindering comment haunted her though. Who would get hurt by a missing tiara? Honestly. Nobody was using it. All it did was sit there. A little fresh air helps everything! Except prison guards. They’re always grumpy.

How could Duela think that nobody cares about her? I do. Does anyone care about me?.....of course. Daddy does. I just have to show him how much he cares sometimes. Like now. He will read this, and be proud of me…wouldn’t he?

“Hey, Riddle me this. What did the mayonnaise say to the fridge?......... Close the door, I'm dressing! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Wait…Where did that come from? I guess thinking about daddy…but…Oh never mind. I’m sick of this standing around. Time to grill some robin. “Duela, on the count of five. Five…………..Four……………….THREE TWO ONE!!!” Enigma tossed the crown in Duela’s direction and cart wheeled at the walking advertisement swinging her hurt stick at him. What a fun night.

"No one's saying you haven't helped, Duela... But doing good in the past doesn't mean you can do whatever you want in the future. Doing what's right can be thankless... But it's better than causing trouble. Sure, maybe no one's using the crown, but it means something to the people it comes from. Taking it is insulting to them, it's like telling them they don't matter. And what do you mean no one cares about you? I'm here, trying to help you... Do you not see me trying to help make your life better? Trying to point you in the right direction?"

Before she could respond, Duela's 'sister', Enigma, began talking. "That's right, Enigma... You might get some headlines. You'll get known for being the former Titans who resorted to stealing. For what? Attention from Riddler? For someone who wants to be in the headlines so badly, you'd think you'd pay attention to them... Your father's turned a new leaf. He's a Private Investigator now. You becoming another small time thief, looking to get known for stealing trinkets from museums... It'll just upset him."

"Look at the two of you... How far you've let yourselves fall... You were heroes, you were good people... Now... Now you're no different than Jason Todd. You don't care about anything except how you want things to be... That selfishness... You'll never get anywhere with it..."

When Enigma charged him, attempting to strike him, Tim fell back with the blows, as he drew one of his bo staffs, extending it to it's full length, and using it to block the attacks. "Are you proud of yourself, Enigma? Do you feel good attacking someone who once saw you as a friend? Does it really bring you joy to do terrible things? Maybe you should think about your actions before demanding any kind of attention you can get..."

Duela heard every word coming from Red Robin, and deep down she knew it was all true. Though, she wouldn't admit it on her own. Especially since the hurt caused by her friends leaving made her feel so empty, worthless. She would do anything to fill that void, and stealing things created the rush she was looking for. And, she had her sister, who did seem to care after all once they had their talk. It was time to ditch the annoying birdie. Especially when he mentioned how they were on Todd's level now. That was just the most insulting thing anyone could have said to her.

". . .All. . .I. . .wanted. . ." she started slowly, "was. . .a burger. I mean, they must give them out to you for free, Red Robin, seeing as you advertise the place HAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!!"

Duela then caught the crown and shouted "Plan R!" Luckily, they had discussed this plan the night before. Duela started to run, while Enigma had distracted Red Robin. She would then meet up with Duela, and they'd make their great escape into the streets of Gotham.

he’s…………..upset……with…me? Is he…….ashamed? That struck a nerve. How could daddy be upset…with… It was the last straw. “UPSET?!?!?!?” Enigma’s face turned the same shade as her lips. She couldn’t help but be filled with rage. She gave him the absolute DEATH Glare as he dodged her hurt stick. Duela shouted plan R. she knew exactly what that meant. But, she decided to adjust the plan slightly. She would honestly try to beat the crap out of him. Fighting for your life was as good a distraction as anything anyway.

Burger Birdie started asking the real tough questions. Pride? Friendship? Joy? Wait a minute. ATTENTION?? I am NOT an “attention hog,” if that’s what he’s accusing me of. “You have no idea what you’re talking about!!!” Enigma shouted at the top of her lungs as she took another jab. She wasn’t paying attention at this point anymore. Just letting herself react.

He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He has no clue… who he’s talking about. she reassured herself. My….my daddy is proud….my daddy is proud……of ME.

“RIDDLE ME THIS (insert not so nice name here)!!! What’s named after a restaurant and is about to be hit with a giant bronze stick??”

Enigma slammed bottom of her hurt stick against the ground, using it to launch herself up. Mid air, she raised the cane above her head with both hands gripping tightly, and shouted “YOU!!!” as loudly and angrily as possible.

Jokes. That was all these two seemed capable of. No introspection, no ability to look at what they were doing... How they were acting. It was wrenching for Tim, watching people he'd once seen as friends, slipping so far past where they belonged. When Duela took the crown and began to run away, Tim decided he was wasting his time with them. He'd tried to show them friendship... To remind them that there was more to life than just living for themselves. But they wouldn't listen. They didn't seem willing to hear the truth, anything that made them consider their actions... It just drove them to delve into joking about him, as if it somehow took away from the actions they were committing.

Moving his staff to absorb the brunt of Enigma's downward swing, Tim used the momentum to send himself rolling backwards, landing on his feet and shaking his head sadly. "It's a shame, Enigma... You could've done good for the world... But you don't care about anyone else, do you? Would you still be so close with Duela if she hadn't decided to resort to being a thief with you? Is this really what you think your father wants for his daughter? To see her slip into the same life of worthlessness he fell into? If anything, you've done nothing but disappoint him, acting this way. It's probably a slap in the face to him, he turns from a life of crime... And, in a desperate bid for his attention, his only daughter starts picking up where he left off."

"But you want to know the whole truth? He's not the only one you've let down. You've let down myself, and all the other Titans who cared for you. I always hoped that after the Titans East incident, you'd come to your senses... Try to be someone meaningful. Instead, you've become nothing but a shadow of who you could be. Enjoy your time with Duela for as long as she'll stay this time, Enigma... She has a good heart, even if she doesn't always make good decisions. I'd like to think you do, too... But you have to change yourself. She'll find herself on the side of right again soon enough... Just like last time. Whether or not you'll be on that side with her... It'll be up to you."

Without another word, Tim pulled his line launcher out, and quickly made his way to the roof top. Duela had already made it out with the crown. Beating Enigma wouldn't have done any good for either of them. She wasn't particularly dangerous to the city, not yet... Hopefully, by letting her walk away free, it'd help set her, and Duela, back on a path worth walking...

As he made his way into the night, Tim decided he'd come home too early. He wasn't ready to get back to dealing with all of this. Not yet. He still had a lot to learn... He'd be back, eventually... But for now, there was no need for him to stay...

(OOC: Sorry, Frankie, didn't mean to leave you hanging like that, but I figure now was as good a time as any to end this one, and move on to Cain... But, I promise, Cain will still stomp Enigma into the ground if she tries to attack him! lol... Feel free to post a final post for the thread, since Kim already had Duela leave... Unless she wants a final post anyways, if she does, you can both end it however you see fit!)

“What a bird brain.” Enigma was left alone with her thoughts. And nothing else. The vigilante let her go. Duela left with the crown and was probably waiting for her in the alley. She could wait a few more moments.

How could I let everyone I’ve ever known down? They can’t all be disappointed. Not everyone knew about this….yet. Titans East would be proud. But then again, they all suck. Not one of them tried to help me out when I was in jail…Not even a visit! I guess they don’t really count.

Maybe Burger boy’s right. Will daddy be upset when he finds out about this? Will he even bother to find out? I….. A tear ran down her cheek. She tried to blink them away, but more came. She sniffed, and wiped them away. Enigma bent down, trying to calm herself. What would Duela think if she came in here and saw you crying like a baby? Is the dude with a side of fries right? Will Duela leave my side again? They just got together again. Would she leave that fast? It only took one question last time….and she punched me in the face and left. Will it be the same this time? Will she switch over so quickly and leave me for jail again? Enigma let the tears flow freely now.

Suck it up Enigma! You’re stronger than this! She wiped off her face and stood up. “No matter what happens, I’m not gonna let Duela betray me again. I’ll….I’ll be by her side. And she by mine. No matter what we go through. Change is a part of life. You just gotta get used to it.” With that, she grabbed her cane and raced out into the night to find Duela.