The Joke is on Gotham... {Harley, party-goers}

[Helena Garcia]

Helena might of figured that it wouldn't have been possible to avoid her father before making it through the doorway. Not that she didn't want to see him at all, but he had a tendency to like to put her under a microscope, especially when she pulled out something rather unexpected. Like the man standing at her side. She hadn't very well told him that Bruce was taking her to the banquet, her date. It was all innocent, of course, but that wasn't what worried it. It was more so about what ideas that her father would come up in his head about the whole deal, simply because she hadn't thought to really mention it at first.

As he asked to talk to her a second, she tried to keep herself from frowning, the small grin on her lips, seeping away into oblivion.

Ambush, her mind immediately screamed out. But she wasn't surprised in the least bit.

"Sure," she replied, gently gritting her teeth slightly as she tried to keep the look of suspicion off her face, as she could only assume if this had to just do with her date of choice. On the other hand, it could do with the banquet, to which they were attending. Though, she wouldn't but the former past him one bit.

Disentangling her arm from Bruce's, she let herself be led away from him as he pulled her off to the side, wondering what this was all about. There was a familiar look in her father's eyes, hidden well to all those that hadn't lived with the man for all their lives. But the meaning of which, whether concern, disapproval, exasperation, worry... or whatever else, she couldn't discern.

"It was a last minute development," she then told him easily, trying to give an air of nonchalance, but she was slowly losing that edge as he seemed to be confirming her original thoughts. "And you better not have pulled me aside just to give me the third-degree about coming here with Bruce."

[Mayor Anthony Garcia]

"Last minute, huh?"

Anthony shook his head slightly, wanting to tell her that he had seen Bruce around. Of course Bruce was known as a playboy, and Anthony didn't want his daughter caught up in something like that. Personally because he didn't want to have to end up seeing something seriously bad done to Bruce because he screwed with the Mayor's daughter.

"Look, I just want you make sure. Bruce hasn't exactly been known to keep a date for more than the duration of a party." he explained, and then arched an eyebrow as she said why he had pulled her away. "Well, yeah." he said as if it was the plainest thing in the world. "The other thing is that I'm going to have to go up there in ten minutes and make a speech. And after ten minutes, I'm going to have to call you up there to say something as well. If you haven't planned anything, you better get that mind working."

He paused, and then looked at her seriously. "I want you to be careful. I've got a men posted at every door, but--" But the nagging feeling that something was up was bothering him. "Just keep both eyes open, alright? That's all I ask. Don't keep both eyes on something that wont be able to get you out of a situation." He said, glancing over at Bruce and...who was that?

"Who's that with Bruce?"

[The Joker]

He always remembered a face. Faces were something that each were unique (most of the time, at least) like a fingerprint. And the Joker had a photographic memory. So when Bruce looked at him, smiling, the Joker tilted his head slightly.

Could it be? Inside, he giggled and bounced, insanely amused that Bruce could be the Bat Man. Even if it wasn't the case, it'd be fun. His fingers itched for his knife, until he saw Bruce's hand extended in a shake.

He moved, taking Bruce's hand in a firm shake. "The party? Oh...oh the party's--yeah, it's fine." Joker said in a nod, moving to place his empty glass on a passing waiters tray. "Bruce Wayne? You're the one everyone's been talking about. The Prince of Gotham." The Joker laughed slightly and clicked his tongue. "You paid for some of that hospital, huh? The one that blew up? Shame about that building. Wasn't as sturdy as it looked; I was surprised." he commented, and then noticed what he had said. "You, uh...you know," he said again, nodding. "It looked...solid, you know. Nice structure. That new one, well, it just looks swell. Y'think it was really proper to name it after Harvey Dent? Or a wing of it, actually."

[Helena Garcia]

"And of what consequence does that have to me?" she queried back at him, resisting the urge to scoff. "I'm not here with him to be his favor of the week, I'm here because there is a more important matters at hand. It's a publicity stunt, dad... nothing more, nothing less." The prince and princess of Gotham, different in their own rights, but standing together to help fix the city, make it more then what it was already. It was supposed to set an example, to try to make more people follow in their steps. That's all it could be.

"You have nothing to worry about," she told him slowly, like she were cohering a small child, abet exasperatedly. Which she was trying to get the point across that he was making her feel like that, like she couldn't handle herself. Like she was an invalid. Helena knew better but she sometimes swore her father liked to conveniently forget about that. She knew he meant well, but it didn't stop it from annoying her.

As he spoke of speeches, she nodded. "Don't worry... I'm three steps ahead." Or so. She had been prepared to go up and make a speech, hadn't written one up, but she had a vague idea of what she wanted to speak about. She was good at phrasing things like that when she needed to.

And then there was the talk about being careful. Resisting the urge this time to roll her eyes and groan, she listened intently. "I know, I know. You act like I'm not familiar with this kind of thing." Which she was. Had to be, especially with the ways things were in the past... with her mother... her family... she had to learn, not that her father was aware of the exact ways she was prepared, but she knew. The ways to assess a situation... amongst other things. But the way he was apprehensive about the party, just made her reminded of how she was trying to not scope the crowd suspiciously around every corner. To not jut out when she felt like there were eyes on her back, even though all eyes were on her, it was hard enough as it was to separate paranoia from the fact of the matter.

Sighing then, she looked over where her father was looking. "Who?" she repeated, taking a moment to see who it was that he was referring to, seeing who it was that was in the presence of Bruce. "A friend perhaps?" Though, she didn't sound too sure, if at all. He had confirmed to the negative in the car on that matter. She couldn't see his full face from where she stood, just the side, but even so the man didn't strike a familiar cord in her. But then again... half the people here she didn't recognize, either.

[Mayor Anthony Garcia]

"You have nothing to worry about."

"You know, I love how that just rolls off your tongue so easily, yet fails to give me any sort of comfort. You're more like your mother than you realise." the Mayor said sarcastically before he frowned lightly. It was true what he had said; her words were giving him no comfort whatsoever. Worry clouded his mind for reasons he didn't fully understand or know. "I want you to be careful." When she spoke of the speech, Anthony nodded. "Good. I doubt you've written anything, but it's good that you've got the notion that you know you need to bring something out." She was certainly just like her mother.

When Helena spoke of the man Bruce was talking with, Anthony's eyes met over to the pair of men before looking at his daughter once again. "Yeah, I don't know, either, and I'm good with faces. Whatever, as long as he's putting in a donation, I could care less. Alright, I want you to go over to Henry over there by the podium. They're going to be wanting to hear from you. Go, go, go." he shooed her off lightly before pressing his lips against the side of her head.

"I'm proud of you, Helena."