“In this house? This same house?”
“Yes, my great-aunt bought it cheaply. Probably because of what happened here during the Siege of Gotham City.”
“Uh, the realtor didn’t mention anything.”
“You don’t know what happened in this house? This is where Deputy Commissioner Cody cowered behind his wife instead of leading his officers against Bane.”
“That’s awful. But I thought he died a hero.”
“So did Two-Face, right?”
“I beg your pardon. This is getting…”
“But that’s not why we’re here. This is about zoning. We have the ordinances right here. We need to respect the heritage of a part of town where a huge bat symbol was burned onto the side of a highrise.”
“We understand that. For six whole months, this was a thriving community of master criminals of indeterminate ethnic origin, British character actors, cat burglars and orphan boys. We get it.”
“Then we agree.”
“But some say property values were never lower than when the city was under siege for six months and the citizens were unable to leave because of a nuclear bomb triggered by the bridges.”
“This isn’t about property values. It’s about our city’s cultural history.”
“Is that why you want us to leave the huge hole in the front of the house that a tank made when it was diverted by Catwoman’s twisting motorcycle?”
“We’d like you to expand it. Catwomen are still an exploited minority in this city.”
“I’m sure you’re right. Say, have you heard the joke about Bane and the corporate banker outside the conference room?”
“Don’t tell that one.”
“It’s OK. I once dated a Blackgate prisoner.”