The Joker’s Testimony — #021
The Vulture’s Smile
Anon: Why do they all keep circling? VA, Trajector, the articles, the noise — why does it never stop?
Joker: Laughs, teeth flashing like knives
Because vultures don’t eat quietly, darling. They circle, they posture, they pretend it’s for your benefit. The VA says: “Prove how broken you are.” Trajector says: “We understand… now pay the invoice.” The critics say: “Your scars are cringe.”
But the truth? They’re not circling to help. They’re circling to feed.
And here’s the joke they’ll never admit: the noise isn’t meant to heal you, or save you, or honor you. It’s meant to distract you while they dip their beaks into your ribs. You hear the words, but you don’t feel the bite until it’s already bleeding.
Leans forward, grin stretching, voice low
That’s why I laugh. Because my smile isn’t noise. My smile is the knife-edge reminder that for all their chatter, all their billing, all their judgment — I’m the one they should fear seeing in the mirror every morning.
The Judge’s Closing — Luca Blight
He rises, dragging the blade across the floor with a shriek of metal.
“Remember this. Forget the words, the invoices, the excuses. The only thing you carry home is the smile. And if you see that smile in your sleep? Let it burn. Let it haunt. Because the day I stop smiling… is the day you meet my wraith.
And trust me — it could be worse. Far worse.”
The gavel falls. The echo doesn’t fade. It lingers, gnawing like fear.