What an absolutely long day. Fighting villains takes a lot out of you, especially when the general public dislikes your help. For some reason people hate vigilantes, even though I'm keeping those very people safe.
I had an anonymous tip that a villain named The Keeper would making their rounds tonight in the streets of the slums. I wasn't too familiar with anyone named The Keeper. Must be a newbie. I wasn't sure what their gig was, whether it be murder, smuggling, whatever... I guess I would just have to keep my eyes open for anything suspicious. The trouble was, everyone was a lowlife in the slums, so finding this new villain would be something of a task.
I approached a corner street light and looked around. Nothing was really going on here. But then a woman walked up to me. A gypsy woman dressed in a black silky dress, fishnet stockings and high leather boots. She decorated herself in bracelets, a necklace with dangling round ornaments and matching ear rings. Black curls complimented seductive brown eyes.
"Hello," she smiled to me.
"What do you want?" she was getting in the way. I was trying to work.
"Would you like me to tell you your fortune?"
"Piss off. I'm working."
"What are you working at?"
"I'm looking for a man named the Keeper. Know anything about him?"
"I might. I think I have something right here," she brought up her hand. There was something in her palm she was hiding under her fingers.
"What is that?" I asked.
She opened her hand. Some sort of dust was in her palm. She blew into it and the substance flew into my face. It was instantly in my lungs. I coughed and fell to my knees. Everything faded away into darkness.
Then I awoke. I was in a bed in a dark room illuminated by candles lined on each wall. I tried to move but found that my wrists and ankles were restricted by shackles. I was handcuffed to the bed frame. And, my mask was gone.
"Good evening. Did you sleep well?" it was the gypsy's voice.
"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.
"I'm keeping you..."
"You... You're the Keeper?"
"Indeed," she smiled as she walked up to foot of the bed. "And you have fallen directly into my trap."
"Why? What made you become a villain?"
"Oh shut up with the cliches," she began to crawl onto the bed, bringing herself on top of me. "I'm not a villain anymore than you're a hero."
"I am a hero!"
"No. You're a vigilante. Vigilantes are considered bad people. I am not a villain. My only crime is that our tricking you into falling into my trap and kidnapping you; a vigilante. And really, in that respect, I'm doing good."
"How?"