As the fireplace roared, the atmosphere inside grew increasingly lively. The children were constantly stuffing their mouths with cake while chattering away about the cartoon characters they were dressed as. Sometimes it was like talking to a wall, but they didn't care. Even if one person was talking to themselves, they could go on for quite a while.
Arrogant gave Aisha a look, wanting her to steer the conversation to the surrounding natural environment. But just then, there was another knock at the door.
Arrogant raised an eyebrow; he didn't think anyone else would be here for candy at this hour. Opening the door, a particularly burly figure stood outside — it was Jason Todd.
"Good heavens, you look like a proper Englishman," Arrogant sized him up and said.
When Jason was still in Gotham, he especially liked wearing those biker-style clothes, either leather jackets or hoodies, which didn't match his artsy nature at all. After a trip to study in England, he actually started wearing sweaters and trench coats.
He wore a light brown sweater, paired with dark gray jeans, a long fitted black trench coat, a Scottish tartan scarf, and even a pair of glasses.
"Oh, come on, don't tease me, Professor. Selina's been laughing at me for half an hour." Jason shook his head a bit helplessly as he walked in.
"You haven't lost much weight, which is nice." Arrogant closed the door, then said, "What brought you here at this time?"
"Actually, I was supposed to land yesterday, but London flights were widely delayed yesterday, so I had to reschedule, and just arrived now." Jason sighed, shook his head, and said helplessly.
"I thought you came back especially to see if I'd prepared any candy." Arrogant grabbed a handful of candy from a basket nearby and placed it in his hand. Jason took a closer look and then said, "Oh my goodness, what flavor is this? What's up with these sour lemon beans?"
"If you don't like these new candies, there are classic flavors over there. This seems to be a new product from the factory where Harley works..."
As Arrogant spoke, Jason unwrapped the candy, tossed it into his mouth, and his entire face scrunched up.
"God, why is it so sour?!"
"You should have figured that out when you read the name," Arrogant said with a smile.
The children ran to the backyard to see the pumpkins, and they sat down by the fireplace. Arrogant brought him a piece of pumpkin pie, which Jason devoured ravenously.
"How's England?"
"It's terrible," Jason said bluntly, "Cloudy, cloudy, cloudy. Rain, rain, rain. Fish and chips, black pudding, shepherd's pie. I've really had enough."
"How about the education system?"
"Not great either. I feel like I'm attending a ceremony from the last century with the Queen, spending half my time listening to their speeches."
"I think it has a certain classical literature vibe."
"I'm not denying that, but if every morning you're listening to those drowsy speeches in gloomy weather, you're not going to have much enthusiasm for learning. The only reason I've made it this far is because the tuition is so expensive."
"Yes, especially when the tuition is paid by you. Do you have Halloween off?"
"Yes, we have three days off, but since the old professor got sick, we can actually take half a month, as long as we pass the exams in the end."
"That's pretty nice, have you thought about where to go?"
"No, I don't have time to play, I have to work." Jason sighed again and said, "The cost of living in Oxfordshire isn't cheap, my points were already insufficient, and there are many places where I need to spend cash, I have to find a job that can cover my cash living expenses."
"Have you applied to Brainiac?"
"Yes, but as you know, majoring in classical literature leaves no path other than becoming a classicist. I've already prepared to do some physical work."
"Don't be too pessimistic, Brainiac might just not understand your talents well enough. If you don't mind, maybe you could ask Barry if he needs any help."
"Isn't he working in Los Angeles?"
"No, he returned to Gotham. Their office — the Behavior Science Analysis Unit, has set up an office on Green Street, right across from Amanda's Federation Shield."
"Bullshit," Jason remarked candidly, "If it's a choice between being neighbors with Amanda, I'd rather endure the high costs of living in Los Angeles."
"Do you know what they do there?"
"Aren't they just Brainiac's gofers?" Jason thought for a moment and said, "Is there any behavior science analysis expert who can compare to Brainiac?"
"Actually, there is. They've recently encountered some trouble," Arrogant paused a bit before saying, "Someone used a mysterious device to fool Brainiac's surveillance cameras, leading to four child abduction cases. Although no children have been harmed so far, this can't go on."
Jason was somewhat intrigued. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and said, "Someone can evade Brainiac?"
"Yes, we initially suspect it might be alien technology, but without concrete evidence, no one can say for sure. In this situation, they should be quite short-staffed. After all, due to Brainiac's existence, the Federal Bureau of Investigation downsized more than 60% of its regular employees, assigning them to positions in other organizations, and they can't be transferred back anytime soon."
Jason's eyes shifted as if he was tempted. So he opened his phone, and before he could inquire about Brainiac, a salary report popped up on the screen.
Jason's eyes widened immediately, and he coughed before saying, "Cough, the culprits behind these child abductions are really outrageous. Although I'm not a professional, if I can make any contribution to this case, I won't refuse."
Then, he chatted with Brainiac on his phone, seemingly asking about the case's progress. After finishing a whole piece of pumpkin pie, he let out a satisfied sigh and said, "I really can't get used to British food. Whether it's famous restaurants in London or countryside restaurants in Oxfordshire, I can't find a single dish that tastes good."
"Then you can look forward to the Halloween banquet later." Arrogant glanced at his watch, "It's not even seven o'clock yet, and the banquet starts at eight, they can wait a little longer."
At this time, a group of children ran in from the backyard. Fortunately, Greed didn't let them step in the dirt, and their shoes were clean, so they dashed from the backyard to the front yard without being stopped by anyone.
Aisha led the way, followed closely by Billy, while Paul remained the last in line. Just as the children were running to the front door, Paul slowed down, walked up to Arrogant, and said, "Thank you, Professor, you're a good person. That was the best cake I've ever had."
"You're welcome, Mr. Austin, would you like to take some candy with you?"
Paul hesitated but still waved to Arrogant. Arrogant squatted down, and Paul whispered a few words. Arrogant nodded and took some candy from a nearby basket for him.
Paul ran to the front door, waved at him, and then ran out to catch up with the other children.
"What did he say?"
Arrogant shook his head, hinting to Jason, "An alcoholic and gambler has no bottom line. If there's a chance to exchange things around them for money, morality can't bind them."
Jason seemed to understand something. He turned to look outside the window; the children hadn't run far and seemed to be examining the freshly trimmed hedges in the Schiller's yard. The porch light flowed over their faces, over their light blonde hair and eyelashes, their blue, green, and brown eyes, like spring streams and summer breezes, showing no signs of sadness or gloom, seemingly out of place with this city or, perhaps, dancing with it.
This reminded Jason of his childhood, but it wasn't a bad feeling. To his surprise, those days of running through mud, barely filling their stomachs in a leaking basement, walking between mud and straw houses with shoe edges stained with ice shards and grass blades, had somehow become endearing over time. Unlike the pure sweetness these carefree children enjoyed now, finding joy amidst hardship was a different kind of fun.
However, he was still glad that children no longer had to toil to fill their bellies, no longer had to scurry through the streets like little mice, eyes wide open, nerves taut, always on guard against stray bullets.
They walked through the night happily, counting the differences in each fence, noisily knocking on every door to receive enough candy to form a small mountain from the baskets they held, turning this somewhat spooky holiday into something as bright as a lake in the afternoon, like honey in April, wheat fields in June, chestnuts, and pumpkins in September.
Arrogant walked over, drew the curtains, picked up the previously prepared gifts, and checked his watch. If they left now, they should make it to the banquet just in time for the start.
"Let's go," he said to Jason, "everyone hasn't seen you in a long time. They'll be surprised by your changes."
Jason laughed, put on his hat, and got into the car. On the way to the estate, almost every porch was lit up. Some decorated with large pumpkins, some with witch hats and scarecrows, some with small decorative lights of pumpkins and bats, and some even painted their front doors in yellow and purple.
Swarms of children ran wildly in the streets, sometimes knocking on this house's door, other times studying that house's pumpkins. Social workers and priests helplessly followed behind them, picking up the candy that spilled out.
However, near the estate, it wasn't as lively. Most of the residents had moved away, but because most of the houses were old and classified as protected buildings, Brainiac seemed to be planning to develop the area into a cultural and artistic district, with construction teams visible everywhere, and many intersections blocked off.
After taking several detours, Arrogant finally became somewhat impatient. He called Harley, and after some guidance from Harley, he was already two miles off their destination.
Finally, Raven flashed in front of the car with some magic, resignedly leading them on foot to the estate. They had delayed for some time, and everyone was waiting for them.
Nobody was puzzled by the simultaneous appearance of two Schillers, or rather, everyone was familiar with what was going on. That didn't mean Schiller and company were warmly received; they were ridiculed for at least half an hour for getting lost.
"I'm very puzzled," Victor said, "Isn't this your own house? You don't even know where it is?"
"Of course, I know, but they've blocked off my usual route."
"I think it's not 'usual route' but the only route you've ever taken." Victor knew him too well. "You've lived here for years, but only ever traveled that one road, never even taking the fork that leads to Wickwood."
Arrogant pulled out a chair and sat down, then said, "Come on, what's the point of going there?"
"That place name was made up by me; you don't even know what's around your house."
"Of course, I know, because you can take that road to the airport, fly to England, and you'll always find a place called Wickwood, or some other 'Wood'."
"That road actually doesn't lead to the airport either."
"Thanks for the reminder!"