Duela Dent, Part 3 - A Moment of Silence for Miss Vale

Author: Aghori
Time to Read:19min
Views:0 (All Time)
Added Date:10/29/2023
Tags: Batgirl
Series:Duela Dent

Story suggested By Animelover1808

Joker’s costume shop was very quiet around 10:15 in Gotham City. It had been a place of rest and relaxation for him in the past two weeks. Every time he got out of Arkham, he was like a nomad trying to find a temporary home for his mischief and hoping that he could stay free for once. However, that usually wasn’t the case, since Batman foiled him at every turn.

This time, he didn’t have to worry about Batman interfering with his plans. Joker could tell when Batman was out of town- that was when he saw more of Robin or Batgirl in the news, and Batgirl had been showing up in headlines frequently. It was the main thing that attracted him towards a new idea- playing a joke on Batgirl for some laughs while the real big bat was away.

Joker couldn’t say that he had fallen short of that scheme. At his right side with her arm wrapped in his stood a well behaved and mentally controlled Batgirl whom he had successfully brainwashed with a little old mesmerizing spinner from a television screen. Joker had learned from the best, Mad Hatter, during his stay at Arkham and he couldn’t help but try out all of his newly learned brainwashing technology on the beautiful Batgirl.

Now, her whole life was in his hands. He knew that Batgirl was Barbara Gordon. He would play with her identities slowly before erasing them forever, letting Batgirl slowly melt into her new identity as Duela Dent. The clown prince was still angry at the real Duela for abandoning her obsession to be The Joker’s Daughter for the low rate Riddler instead. Oh well, he thought; arrivederci.

Harley loyally stood at Joker’s left hand side. She used to be his literal “right hand girl”, but she would now have to make room for Duela. Harley didn’t have any complaints to make. Besides, why would she ever question the Joker? She loved the mental games that he was putting Batgirl through, slowly destroying her sense of identity to conform with the Joker’s. If Joker told her to take a second seat for his new experiment, sure, Harley would feel a tinge of jealousy- but it wasn’t like she wasn’t going to enjoy using Batgirl too. The way Harley saw it, Batgirl was hers now as well, and with the crime fighter assuming her new life as Duela Dent, Harley could only see her as a new part of their family.

“What are you doing, Joker?” Duela asked curiously as the three of them walked the aisles together.

“Why, it’s very simple, dear.” Joker said as he rubbed his chin, curiously looking up and down the rows of accessories and items. “I’m trying to find the perfect costume for the perfect caper.”

“Gee, boss!” Harley said with a grin as she hugged Joker’s arm tighter, looking up to him as she rubbed his chin affectionately. “What caper are we going to pull?”

Suddenly, Joker’s bipolarity shifted as he shouted at Harley with flaring eyes. “I haven’t thought of it yet!”

Harley sunk her head down as she continued to hold The Joker’s left arm. “Oh...”

Joker composed himself before kissing Harley on the forehead, making her perk up again. “Sorry, Harls... you know how I get when I’m thinking. You just... shouldn’t interrupt me like that.” The clown prince grabbed a ballerina costume off the shelf and studied it before tossing it apathetically behind him. “It’s just that, well, I’m trying to think of something humiliating to do, but I can’t think of a perfect target!”

“Humiliating?” Duela asked.

“Yes! I’ve been figuring something out, Duela. I think that Batman is out of town.”

“He is,” Duela said without any concern of holding secrets from The Joker. She would tell Joker anything.

“Perfect.” Joker grinned. “It’s just that, this is such an opportunity to play with a friend of Batman’s, humiliate them for as long as I desire without any interruptions. If I could find someone close to him, maybe someone that he would really be upset to hear about something happening to them, why... why, I’d be the happiest clown on Earth! If even for a day.”

“Wow, Mistah J, you sure are demented,” Harley teased.

“Awww,” Joker said with a blush. “Stop, you’re embarrassing me.”

“No, but it’s true, daddy,” Duela said as she reached up and kissed Joker on the cheek. “That dementia needs to be shared with the world.”

“That’s what I always told the comedy spots! But they would never believe me.”

“They just didn’t see your genius. Hmmm...” Duela paced a little as she looked at the costumes. Suddenly, a bright idea hit her. Duela’s entire face perked up as she turned to Joker. “I know the perfect person you should humiliate tonight.”

“I’m listening,” Joker said before chuckling.

“You need someone close to Batman. It would also be good if it were someone you’ve humiliated before. Well, I remember reading about your past in Batman’s files, and something in your background always used to disturb me but now it inspires so many dirty and evil ideas.”

“Go on,” Joker said before chuckling again.

“I think we need to pay Vicki Vale a visit.”

Joker and Harley’s eyes got huge. Duela could tell they were impressed.

“Vicki Vale! Why didn’t I think of that! She actually came back in town after laying low for a while.”

Harley laughed. “You always told me about her, boss, but I never got a chance to play with her.”

“Well, think about it,” Duela said with a grin. “The woman’s already been traumatized by you... and traumatized is truly an understatement. Look, Joker. As a sick, insane and schizophrenic mad man without manners-”

“You're too kind!”

“- it would be even more fun to find her, give her a costume to wear, and make her relive old nightmares in a new way.”

Harley grinned wide. “Duela... for a brainwashed broad, you’re really smart.”

“I’m only here to make The Joker happy,” Duela said. “And that’s what makes me happy.”

“Of course,” Joker said. “Good job, Duela. I agree. We should visit our lovely Vicki Vale and give her a dressup night she would never forget. Hmm...” After a quick moment of thinking, Joker snapped as a dark idea finally took hold of his mind. His grin grew even more sinister than it always was. “I know! Come on, ladies, let’s go to the clown aisle.”

The women followed Joker, trying to keep up with his quick gait.

“What do you have planned, Joker?” Harley asked.

“Oh, ladies... just wait till you get a load of this!”

It was 11: 15 and Vicki Vale was getting tired. LIfting her arms up, she stretched before grabbing the remote control and turning off the TV. Her living room was comfortable but the bedroom was calling her now. She had been in Gotham for months working on a special investigative story on crime alley. Although she had won accolades and awards before, she was convinced that this new story was going to blow Gotham out of the water. Vicki couldn’t lie- she was happy that the Gotham Gazette hired her again, even though there was still some bad blood from her move to Metropolis.

Everyone knew that she had left because of her encounter with The Joker, however. There was no way that fact could be hidden, and her whole experience with Joker, Batman and Bruce Wayne had left her a little cold towards men. It was a decade later and she was still sleeping solo in a bed for two. Sure, she dated here and there, even got serious with some guys, but it always fell apart. Vicki didn’t know what was wrong with her. She knew that she still had panic attacks anytime she thought of the Joker, and the tension she felt in remembering Bruce Wayne and his secret lifestyle made her a bit sick. Maybe she was giving up hope that someday, all would have been forgiven and she could move on. It would never happen. They thought Joker had died- that was a lie. With the Joker still alive, going in and out of Gotham, always filling newspapers with horror stories, Vicki doubted she would ever be clean of him.

The tiredness was kicking in more. Vicki stood up, dreading the fact that Joker’s face would be the first thing she saw as soon as she closed her eyes but she had to sleep. The constant bouts of insomnia weren’t going to destroy her and she was going to break through, make a way and find peace. All of that would happen... after she answered the strange knocking at her door.

The knocking was loud. Vicki looked at her clock. It was 11:20.

“Are you kidding?” Vicki shouted at the door. “I’m about to get some sleep!”

The knocking continued. It was loud and annoying, one of those sing songy knocks that some stupid clown would make. Why couldn’t people just be normal?

“Damn kids,” Vicki said under her breath. She was certain it was the bad kids that lived on her floor. They stayed up late while their parents slept, sometimes running down the hall and knocking on doors at night. Even so, this was the first time they resorted to corny knocking patterns.

“I’m telling your parents,” Vicki shouted as she stormed towards the door. She hardly got two feet in front of the door before the knocker invited himself in.

The door didn’t just open- it burst open.

“Vicki!” Joker shouted as he held a huge bouquet of flowers. “Nice to see you, doll!”

Vicki looked in terror as the clown prince, her biggest and realist nightmare, walked past the threshold of her apartment.

“So good to see you, again, Vicki! Oh! I’m sure you’ll like to meet the current ladies in my life- after we had our falling out.” Joker whistled at the door.

Harley and Duela walked in slowly, both of them holding shopping bags as they looked around at Vicki’s apartment.

Joker walked up to Vicki, frozen and shaking with fear as she looked at Harley and Duela.

“Vicki, darling, please meet my current girlfriend of... I lost count of how many years, Harley.”

“Nice to meet you,” Harley said as she brushed past Vicki, eyeing her up and down. “My puddin’ was obsessed with you? Really? Ha!”

“Ooh! Ooh!” Joker pulled Vicki along to Duela. “Allow me to introduce my daughter, Duela.”

Vicki eyed the bag in Duela’s hands with suspicion, her shaking getting worse. “What’s in the bag?”

“Don’t worry about that, Vicki babe!” Joker laughed as he grabbed Vicki’s arm and started to dance with her as Harley started to play with the radio. “You’ll find out all of that information later. For now, we need to... catch up.”

“I’ll be the DJ,” Harley said with a wink as she found a orchestral station. They were playing a waltz. “How convenient!”

Joker whisked Vicki around the floor. “I”m so glad you came back. I don’t know why everyone was saying you left the city to get away from me. I told them all, no way! Vicki would never do that. She’s a hard working woman, always up and at it, taking those pictures...”

“What do you want from me?” Vicki said as she shivered in the clown’s gloved hands.

Joker pulled the woman close with a sneer that could hardly be hidden from his lips. “We could have been something, Vicki. But you had to lack a sense of humor, those ten years ago.”

Vicki stared at the Joker with teary and shaky eyes. Why was he still here? She watched him fall, heard the news reports, and then, a year after his death, he had come back to Gotham. He had raised havoc and brought the city down to its knees, found a psychotic girlfriend, and now spent his days harassing normal citizens for a personal laugh. And for what? None of it made sense to Vicki.

The photojournalist spit in the clown’s face.

Joker frowned instantly.

“You’re scum,” Vicki said with a sneer.

Joker cleared up his frown, folding it into a grin as his eyebrows continued to furrow deep. “You don’t have a good attitude, Vicki. Or a happy face.”

“And she talks too much,” Harley complained.

“That’s okay.” Duela reached into her bag, pulling out some feathers. “We have a special night prepared for her.”

Harley turned off the radio.

“Wait.” Vicki got agitated, looking at Harley and Duela as they came closer. “What are you doing?”

“Relax, Angel,” Joker said as he held the woman’s wrists with a tight grip, flipping her around in his arms to constrain her. “We’re only going to make you laugh.”

Vicki started to kick the Joker’s legs, trying to fight him off, but Harley was quick to pull out a cannister from her shopping bag and spray Vicki with it. Vicki immediately felt stiff and lethargic, the fight in her dying down. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she had been sprayed with some sort of stun gas. Her legs buckled and sprawled out on the floor as Joker held her arms and the women slipped off Vicki’s shoes.

“No,” Vicki said as she watched Harley and Duela grab her feet. She was surprised to still be conscious. Vicki could feel her body but she suddenly felt so weak and helpless.

“Goochy goochy goo,” Harley said as she started to move a feather up and down Vicki’s left foot, giggling as she did so.

Vicki felt a giggle immediately erupt from her mouth. “N-no. Haha! Stop... I’m extremely-”

“Ticklish?” Duela asked as she brushed another feather on Vicki’s right sole.

The sensation of both feathers bought immediate discomfort to Vicki. “S-stop!” Vick shouted before erupting in laughter.

“She must not know the code word to stop,” Duela said as she attended the feet, brushing the feather ever so playfully against it.

“We should do this until she cracks,” Harley said with amusement.

“No! Please! Hahahaha...” Vicki tried to compose herself as the feathers did their work on her feet. She felt so uncomfortable, wishing she could get out. Duela and Harley showed no signs of stopping. The three home invaders held her down, rudely handling her on the floor as she laughed helplessly, feeling her ribs aching from the endless tickling. To make her own laughter that much worse, Joker was laughing every step of the way, enjoying her discomfort.

“No more! Hahahahaha, please, stop, no more...”

Vicki didn’t know how much time had passed. Her body was feeling so weak, claimed by the stun gas, yet her skin seemed to have a heightened sense of sensitivity. She had always been ticklish, but somehow she felt even more ticklish than before. The feathers moving across the soles of her feet were almost unbearable.

“You know my efficiency in chemistry, Vicki,” Joker said with a musing smile. “I just happened to concoct a very special spray that we got to use on you tonight.” The Joker grabbed Vicki’s chin as he stared into her eyes, enjoying every moment of her uncontrollable giggling. “As you can tell, it’s making you very limp, but making your skin so extremely sensitive! Just perfect for tickling.”

The Joker gave a menacingly creepy laugh as Harley and Duela continued to tickle away.

“Hey, Joker,” Duela said as she reached into the shopping bag. “Should I try that other joke now?”

“Which one, dear?” Joker asked.

Duela pulled out a small little joke carnation from the bag and attached it to her top. “You know, the one you showed me.”

“Hmmm.... I forgot exactly what you’re talking about. Perhaps you could show me, or better yet, show Vicki?”

“Sure, daddy.” Duela said as she eased up to Vicki’s face and held the carnation. “I just hold the flower to her face, like so, and... voila!”

The carnation sprayed a strong cloud of purple gas into Vicki’s face. She fell asleep instantly.

When Vicki woke up, she was in the center of her living room, restrained to a chair with ropes.

“What’s going on!” Vicki yelled

“Ah. The princess is awake from her slumber.” Duela walked in front of Vicki, smiling wide.

Vicki looked around suspiciously and frantically for Harley and Joker.

“Don’t worry,” Duela said with a smile. “The boss is still here. He’s just cleaning out your bedroom. You sure have a lot of money in there. Haven’t you heard of banks?”

Vicki wanted to plead, to ask for mercy, but she was in the hands of The Joker and his women. Vicki knew that The Joker was not kind to his hostages, and she could only fear for her fate. Even though she didn’t know this Duela, she knew that being left in the care of anyone associated with the Joker didn’t last well.

“I’ve got something for you,” Duela said as she pulled out a shiny pocket watch on a gold chain. “I picked this one up at Joker’s shop. He taught me a few things he learned about hypnotic control. I guess after placing me in a pretty strong trance, he only wanted me to share the joy.”

“No, please.” Vicki shook her head sporadically as she saw the pocket watch snap open. She wanted no part in being hypnotised by anyone in Joker’s camp.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t last long,” Duela said as she swung the watch back and forth. “Since you’re a regular woman, your willpower won’t be too strong against this device. That’s why we don’t need super expensive technology to handle your mind the way Joker needed to take over mine.”

“No,” Vicki said, shaking her head as she pulled her head back from Duela. “I... I won’t let you do this to me.”

“But you must,” Duela said. The watch swung back in forth.

“No! I won’t allow it, I tell you. You can’t do this to me.” Vicki bit her lip as she tried to look away from the watch. At times, Duela could see Vicki’s eyes move back, as if being pulled by a magnetic force. Duela knew that she had Vicki right where she wanted her. No matter how much the photojournalist tried to resist, she would be won over.

“Just give up, Vicki,” Duela said. “It’s the best thing you can do.”

“No.”

“Yes... watch the birdy.”

In a matter of seconds, after only a little resistance, Vicki’s eyes were already following the swinging pendulum of a watch perfectly.

“That’s it,” Duela mouthed kindly.

Vicki’s mouth dropped like a buffoon’s as she stared at it, being claimed by the watch with each movement, feeling her hands tremble. Before long, her eyes were completely attached to the thing, not letting it out of her sight.”

“Now,” Duela said with a grin, “I’m going to count to 10 and then you’ll feel completely ready to do whatever I tell you, with full conviction and loyalty. 1... 2...”

“N... no.” Vicki could feel her limbs giving out as Duela counted. Her consciousness was sliding to the back of her mind.

“5... 6...”

With her limbs feeling as fluent as water, Vicki’s sense of her body seemed to be fading out. A clear space in her mind made room for Duela’s instructions alone. No more protests would come from her lips ever again.

“10. Good. Now, Vicki. You feel a blank space in your mind. This space is where your mind is open to suggestion and willing to be completely submissive. You must allow this space to take over your entire being, your way of thought.”

Vicki did as she was told instantly. The blank space in her mind moved out, becoming her body, mind and soul.

Duela knew that she had Vicki where she wanted her. “You have one purpose in this life and one purpose only,” Duela continued, moving her hands to Vicki’s ropes and untying them, freeing the captive. “That is to serve The Joker. Now, this blank space, empty of spoken words and unnecessary banter- you must assume it in your personality. You no longer have any need to say anything. You have no need to vocalize speech. You are The Joker’s mime and the only purpose you serve is to be seen and not heard. Is that understoood?”

Vicki nodded obediently.

“Good. Now, stand up.”

Vicki stood up immediately.

“It’s time to give you a new life. Let’s get you dressed.”

Duela took Vicki’s hand and led her to one of the nearby shopping bags.

“Now, get undressed,” Duela instructed Vicki.

Vicki immediately did what she was told. Throwing off her articles of clothing onto the ground, Vicki exposed herself to Duela. Duela was pretty impressed with Vicki’s body. She had a softness and looked healthy, more on the doll girl side than an athlete like Duela. Her blonde hair was already falling over her perked breasts and it didn’t take much to see how much Vicki was enjoying her predicament in her mindless state. For a petite woman, Vicki was well shaped in her hips and breasts, and her lingerie was a nice purple tone that fit perfectly for a Joker girl.

“Here, put this on,” Duela insisted as she handed Vicki a black and white shirt.

Vicki obeyed immediately. She threw the shirt on and pulled it down over her flat stomach.

“Don’t forget these,” Duela said as she handed the blonde a black skirt with red suspenders.

Vicki put on the skirt. They were a perfect stretching fit. The suspenders fit directly over the woman’s nipples and outlined her shape quite well. The skirt did a good job in showcasing her legs. After being fitted in a nice pair of black and white striped socks with black high heels, Duela couldn’t help but notice what a perfect mime Vicki made. She knew the boss would be proud when he saw her.

“Now let’s do something about that hair,” Duela said, running her hands through Vicki’s golden locks. “You’re not going to need that much color anymore when I’m through with you. I know!” Duela reached into her shopping bag and grabbed some black dye. Then, she grabbed Vicki’s hand and looked around before she found the door to the kitchen. Pulling Vicki behind her, she led the woman to the kitchen sink and started to run the water. Duela put Vicki’s hair in the sink and let the water run over it as she opened the container for the black dye. She let the dye run all over Vicki’s hair, meshing with it, making sure she covered each of her tresses in the bold black. In a matter of minutes, Vicki’s hair was completely dark, no sign of blonde left.

“Now that’s more like it,” Duela said before dragging Vicki back into the living room. Vicki now stood in a nice, stereotypically French ensemble of a black skirt with red suspenders over a striped black and white shirt. The striped black and white socks tugged at her legs as the black shoes fit perfectly on the new mime persona that Duela was building for Vicki.

“We need to do your makeup, girlfriend,” Duela said with a little giggle as she reached into the bag and pulled out greasepaint. In her hands was a container of clown white. Duela undid the top and dipped her right hand into it. She went about applying it onto Vicki’s face, smoothing it out over her cheeks, her forehead, and chin. Before long, an entire blanket of white was covering Vicki’s beautiful visage. Duela took perfect attention to Vicki’s neck and ears, making sure that she immersed the skin of her entire face under the greasepaint before powdering it. With the white set in well, Duela reached for some red lipstick in her pocket and covered Vicki’s lips. Almost instinctively, Vicki pressed her lips together to smooth the lipstick out.

Duela smirked. “That’s a good mime.”

To give Vicki a set of rosy cheeks, Duela moved the lipstick on each side of the woman’s face in a circular shape. Before long, Vicki’s cheeks were covered with nice, red discs that made her beautiful lips stand out even more. Finally, she got some black greasepaint and smeared it over her eyelids, giving the woman more volume and depth. Still, she thought, there was so much she could do to add some design for the face. A lightbulb went off in Duela’s head. She grabbed some black greasepaint and painted some tears at the corner of Vicki’s eyes. The look was absolutely stunning on Vicki, and a good design- subtle, but amply pleasing for her made over face. After making sure her face was complete, Duela added a set of extended, curled eyelashes onto the mime’s eyelids.

Duela stood back to study Vicki like a painter studying her canvas. “Hm... needs something.” Duela reached into the bag and pulled out a little black beret, fitting it onto Vicki’s head. After a little tugging, the beret fit on the mime’s black hair perfectly. “Ta da!”

Vicki looked down at her hands, studying her white gloves before turning her hands around. She had an ecstatic look on her face, obviously intrigued with the new personality she had been given. As if testing out her new persona, Vicki started to move her hands against the air like she was polishing an invisible mirror.

“I love it,” Duela thought. “But something is missing. I know!” Duela reached up to Vicki’s breasts and under the suspenders to rip across the front of her shirt. Repositioning the suspenders a bit, she allowed the nipples to show, exposing them freely. “You’re so perfect now,” Duela said with a smile before moving a hand through Vicki’s hair. She was proud of her creation.

“Great job, Duela!” Joker shouted as he entered the room from Vicki’s bedroom.

Duela turned to smile at the Joker and Harley as they came bearing gifts, bags of stolen jewelry, cash, and clothes. Duela could tell that Joker was instantly pleased with the mime standing in the center of the room. Joker’s eyes paid extra attention to her breasts.

“Hope you don’t mind if we borrow a few things, Vicki,” Joker said to the mime standing before him.

“Permanently,” Harley said.

Vicki shook her head humbly, her movements insisting that they take more stuff. There was no doubt about it- she wanted to be robbed. Vicki pointed to all different corners of the room, towards her vases and entertainment center, before getting on her knees with pantomined pleading. Her arms were outstretched towards the Joker before clasping together in begging fashion.

“No. I feel this is all we need for now,” Joker said politely. “Besides, I didn’t hire enough goons to ramsack your place. I just wanted to see you put in your place as my new mime girl. Ha ha ha! Ms. Mime- the perfect name for you! Why don’t you give us a show, Ms. Mime?”

The newly crowned Ms. Mime quickly did as she was told. Fully decked out in her mime outfit, she pretended to be pulling on an imaginary rope to the point of mock exhaustion. She pantomimed the movements of scaling a wall, of rowing a boat, and swimming through water. The woman even pretended to gargle water before drinking it, play tennis, and juggle illusionary balls.

Her three clown friends laughed and clapped wildly in amusement.

“Amazing!” Harley exclaimed.

“I liked Vicki before,” Joker said, “but I do like this Ms. Mime way better.”

Ms. Mime bowed at the end of her performance as the clowns clapped.

“Such a great job. Okay, Ms. Mime- this is what you’ll do for your grand finale. We’ll call the police and tell them what a great performance you’re giving here. Then, we’ll skedaddle and you can tell them all about the fun we had- whoops! That’s right- you can’t talk! Hahahahaha!”

Duela grinned. “I’ll call the cops,” she said as she stood up and walked towards the phone.

“Yes. Then we’ll leave Ms. Mime to enjoy the rest of her evening while we enjoy ours.”

Joker walked up to Ms. Mime and studied her face and costume. Duela had really done a good job. She was proving to be well cut out for this villainy stuff, and Joker could hardly wait to try out some other crime ideas with her. He was also very pleased with the woman’s brainstorming skills. Duela had set up this fun crime, and although he sometimes stole Harley’s ideas, he could already see Duela’s value as a thinking member of the team. Then again, Batgirl had always been smart, and it would only serve Joker well to keep her close.

“I called the police, Joker,” Duela said as she hung up and walked towards the clown prince. “Let them know about all the fun we’re having here. They hung up in a hurry as soon as I mentioned your name.”

“That means they’ll be here any minute.” Joker grinned. “We better leave Mimesy to entertain them.” The Joker kissed Miss Mime on the forehead as the woman mindlessly waved goodbye in her mime limitations. “Okay, Mimey babe! You distract the mean ol’ cops for me, will you?”

Ms. Mime’ s face grew sad, waving frantically in the air as her mouth remained mute.

Joker looked at his new mime with compassion before hugging her. “Don’t be too sad. We’ll check up some other time.”

Ms. Mime could only mute her protests, mocking tears that would not fall, her face caught in clownish motions. Her hands begged and pleaded as she watched Joker, Harley and Duela exit the room. Joker laughed heartily, pleased with what had transpired that evening. His mind ran through the itinerary list of what would be next for that evening. He would get the ladies back to the costume shop, have a little fun, and then escort Duela back home and get her ready for bed. In the morning, she would resume her life as Barbara. Why not toy with her a little more before her full conversion, Joker thought. Yes, this was perfect, a chance in a lifetime, and soon Duela would be a full time moll in his service, standing in as the best fake daughter he could ever ask for.

To Be Confinued