13695/Patron of the Arts

Patron of the Arts
Date of Scene:	14 January 2023
Location:	The Tam Walker Gallery, Metropolis
Synopsis:	Jinx wants to scope out Donna's photography exhibit so she can steal the goods later. She takes Harley because why not combine two good things in one. It goes badly for Jinx, however, as she realises she's walked in to a den of Titans and Wonder Woman. Eventually one of the Titan's who knows her face walks in and the shirt hits the fan. Captured, Jinx gives the best reason she can why she shouldn't be sent back to jail... HIVE.
Cast of Characters:	Donna Troy, Jinx, Harley Quinn, Kaida Connolly, Diana Prince, Caitlin Fairchild, Rachel Roth, Nadia Pym-van Dyne

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Donna Troy has posed:
    What can go wrong at a nice pleasant private viewing at a Metropolis art gallery? Last time Donna had an exhibition of her photography, Metropolis got invaded and she spent a few months trapped inside a black hole. This time she's actually made it to the private view, and everything will be perfect, OR ELSE.

    The Tam Walker gallery is one of the oldest private art galleries in Metropolis, and moderately prestigious. The sizeable gallery has specialized in photography since the 1960s and has three separate display spaces - the largest given over to their permanent exhibition, while two smaller ones either side are used for rotating exhibitions.

    The east gallery is open late into the evening for a private viewing the day before the exhibition opens officially for a display of the works of an upcoming photographer who goes by the name Donna T, though it's no great secret that this is Troia, junior ambassador of Themyscira and a member of the Titans. If you don't read the gossip in the arts pages you could probably still figure this out, as some of the photos are of subjects that a typical photographer would have trouble taking. One of the photographs is clearly taken on the Moon, several show scenes that must have been taken in Themyscira, and a good few look to have been taken in war zones around the world.

    Donna's photography has a strong element of social commentary in it, and if one were to look for a common theme in her work, they would probably conclude that it was 'hope', or something similar. There are scenes of devastation, but the focus of the image tends to be positive. Flowers growing amongst ruins, children playing on a burnt-out tank, and so on. The prints are exclusively black and white, a form of image-making that was entirely alien to the Themysciran until she first saw that way of looking at the world on arriving in America ten years ago.

    The gallery is busy. Although this is called a private viewing, as is normal for these things invites are handed out like confetti. There are serious art buyers here, but also a large number of more casual gallery-goers who are probably here more for the free champagne and snacks than anything else, and a sizeable contingent of Metropolis' finest who are here to see and be seen, another date on the whirlwind of the Metropolis social calendar.

    On the face of it, this might seem like a good place for an opportunistic criminal. Plenty of rich people, a relaxed environment, lax security. Never mind the assortment of superheroes gathered in one corner of the gallery space -- they're in civilian gear, drinking their champagne, socializing, and pretending not to be anything other than gallery goers and guests of the artist. The gallery might have wished to exploit their notoriety -- an exhibition by a Superhero would have a certain draw to it. Donna put her foot down, though.

Jinx has posed:
May be taking Harley to a mutant dive bar wasn't the best of ideas. But she really thought she was a mutant. That they got attacked by a frankendjinn seemed to have made Harley's night though. This was more Jinx's scene though. She's wearing a long flowing black dress that sparkles in the light because if you're going to case a joint you need to fit in.

The tickets are handed over and the first champagne that comes her way is taken. Flute in hand, she sips and looks over to Harley, "Shall we peruse?" But already her eyes are on the prize - a photo from the moon. That thing'll be worth a fortune, even more so once stolen.

She's already on the job even though she kinda asked Harley out on a date, this for her is more of a working date. Why not mix business with pleasure. Then again, she's in the business of bringing herself pleasure by hanging an original photo graph by Donna Troy up on her wall.

She hooks an arm in to Harley's and begins to glance around at where the cameras are stationed, taking in the fit and poise of the frames knowing just how thick it needs to be to hide pressure sensors and motion sensors.

"Canape?," asks a waitress. Jinx smiles, "Don't mind if I do." Pluck, nom, this one is a little tuna thing and quite delicious. "Tell me, Harley, which one do you like the most?" Because she's absolutely going to steal it for her later.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Peruse? Oh, that's a fancy word!" Harley certainly accepted the invite to come to this shindig without hesitation. Specially after the great time at that dive bar! "Didn't know you weah the type to come to this stuff. You lift the pinky up too when drinkin'?"

Because Harley is surely getting her pinky up when picking up her flute to drink. She is dressed in a pair of designer jeans and sweater. As for jacket? A cool yellow jacket that she surely raided from April's closet.

"Well ...." And she is looking around with a critical eye, then points at one, eyes widening. "That one! I been theah on that beach!" she tells Jinx. "There's a cove theah, we went in. April got herself a sword. It was amazing.."

"So, why are you really here?" Her tone a bit more serious.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Things have been a bit hectic for a mouse. Holidays are never easy. A mad man running around apparently trying to do something with mice. A warning from a god. Checking in on her alcoholic father who refuses to believe his girl has been turned into a mouse being. Just a lot going on and then there's all the homeless that need various things and all the people who try to hurt them needing a tiny sword place firmly into their posteriors.

Frankly, it's just a lot.

So, when she found out there was a place where one of her teammates was showing off her work and there would be snacks. Well, of course she had to take time out of her busy schedule to come and check on it. So, Kaida walks in to the exhibit (tempted as she was to hitch a ride on one of Harley's shoes) while glancing around. She was curious as to what she could see and what kind of snacks they would have. Is she dressed up? No. Who is really looking for the rodent population to dress up? She is, however, walking in the direction of the smells of her friends.

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana is not here publicly as 'Wonder Woman'. She's just here as any other guest. She's dressed finely though. Her long hair is loose, though it is brushed straight and lays directly down the back of her head behind her shoulders, styled in near-obsidian shade tonight with a nice shine that catches in the ambient light. With her eyes surrounded by a smoky makeup, and her lips hued in a deep dusky red, she smiles to those she recognizes, happily engages in conversation with those who approach her, but otherwise just sips her drink and browses the art on display here tonight in support of her beloved sister. The tall Amazon Princess is standing over six feet in height tonight, her shoes a tall spiked heel uplifting her over her natural six foot. Wearing a slim-fitting black leather top that is both backless, and sleeveless, it leaves only Diana's long dark hair to cover her long exposed back, leaving just glimpses of the toned form beneath. The black leather wraps around Diana's neck, and is accentuated by a silver necklace that hangs about her collarbone, glittering as the Princess moves. On her lower half, she's wearing a loose aesymetrical skirt that is longer on the right side than it is on the left, it too patterned with black leather stripes mixed in with deeper black fabric that looks to be satin, or some similar soft material. Silver jewelry adorns Diana's ears, and her wrists as well.

Diana is not too far from where Donna is now, simply speaking to a few patrons of the party this evening.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
The Titans have turned out to support Donna, because that's what Titans do for each other. Sometimes it's to help pad the numbers, sometimes it's for that extra celebrity curb appeal, and sometimes it's because sharing art is scary and there's strength in solidarity.

Caitlin's dressed slightly-above-mean in terms of style, a pretty knee-length dress in purple worn under a denim jacket with a cotton liner and paired with sensible calf-brown cavalry boots. It's New York winter appropriate, and is a big step up from a hoodie and yoga pants.

"Harley?" Whoops, busted-- Caitlin hears her friend's name (damn that superhearing of hers) and pretty quickly tracks the blonde down. A brilliant smile splashes on Caitlin's face when she confirms it is indeed Harley Quinn, and the redhead starts crossing the gallery to get to her without trampling or maiming anyone. Once she does she extends both hands for a handclasp as a prelude to a warm hug. "I didn't know you were gonna be here for this!" she bids Harley. Jinx gets a quick unfamiliar look but then a friendly smile for her too. "Hi! I'm Caitlin," she tells the stranger.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Well this could be awkward for Jinx, as it seems her guest for the evening is known to the very people Jinx was considering stealing from, and was likely hoping not to run into. While Donna doesn't follow Caitlin over to greet Harley, she does send a friendly wave over in the clownette's direction.

    It's probably fortunate for Jinx that none of the Titans she had previously fought seem to be on the scene right now.

    Unlike Diana and Caitlin, Donna appears to have followed Kaida's example, and is not particularly dressed up. While people may pay more attention to the artist than a visiting mouse when it comes to appearances, Donna has opted for boots, jeans and a leather jacket, having resisted any urging for more formal clothing. "People expect the artist to dress informally," she had assured Caitlin on their way to the gallery. No doubt an excuse.

    Donna turns back from Caitlin's greetings to give a plastered smile to the journalist who is attempting to talk her ears off, an enthusiastic reporter from an arts journal who is desperately trying to crack her determination to talk about art, not superheroics, and flashes a look of mock despair in Diana's direction.

    When she sees Kaida approaching through the legs of the crowd, Donna holds up a hand to the journalist and gives him a polite "One moment," before waving to her mousy teammate. "Kaida! Over here."

Jinx has posed:
"Wot, can't a friend just take a friend out to a shwanky art gallery with canapes and champagne? Besides last time it got cancelled," Jinx replies to Harley's concern. Red flags, oh so many red flags. Also her team just happened to be planning an attack on the Titans in a few days time so things would have been tight. The little pinky does go up though. She grins at Harley and says, "Heck yes the little pinky."

She does a little spin with Harley on her arm so she can watch one of the wait staff put in a pin code to enter the supply closet, then spins her back around. Things are going swimmingly. The security at this place is pretty lax.

She reaches in to her purse and activates the card scanner and looks around for any of the staff with their ID badges nearby. She spots one but then is interrupted by the tall Caitlin approaching. Quickly she smiles back and says, "Jezebel du Blanc Pourette Grottes de cristal, a pleasure." Her accent is clearly British but that doesn't necessarily mean the ridiculously long name is fake. Shit, a Titan. But, she's not recognised, so she'll just play it cool. Besides, Harley might be in to the whole fake names thing.

Her eyes wander suspiciously around the gallery. There is more than one Titan here, but she's pretty sure she's never 'met' any of them. Perhaps that night isn't lost after all - in fact this could be fun.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Uh-uh ..., suwah..." Harley says back at Jinx, eyeing her for a few moments before her attention is taken by her PEN PAL! There you go, Jinx. Escaped some drilling interrogation from the clownette!

"Pen pal Caitlin!" She tells her old friend. "What are you doin' heah...? Didn't know it was your thing and ...." then she spots Donna and waves and, "Oh wait, this is Themyscira so it means ..." her blue eyes go around like home guided missiles to finally rest on Diana. "Didi!" she waves at her before getting Caitlin in a hug.

"This is Jinx, met her on the road. She is good at killing monsters.." She says. "Hey, wanna go meet Wonder Woman and Donna?"

There. Let's introduce Jinx, the internationally wanted criminal to some powerhouse superheroes!

Diana Prince has posed:
Diana catches the call from Harley, and smiles warmly across the distance toward her. She takes one hand off of her drink glass, and offers a small finger-wave back to the notoriously chipper Ms Quinn. A look is caught from Donna then, and Diana smiles with a more mischievous bend to her expression as she garners the underlying message there-in.

The Princess regards those speaking to her, and after a few more words she detaches herself from them and turns toward her sister to walk toward she and her friends. "I am buying someone one of Donna's pieces here tonight." Diana announces when she arrives. "Who would like to be the recipient of such a gift?" She asks then before another sip of her champagne is indulged.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Walking through the stepping and stompings of various people both sober and mildly buzzed, Kaida lets out a 'Pfft' at Donna waving her over and then shakes her head as she gets closer.

"Thanks, Donna, but no one can hide from my nose! I know you're here, was more looking for the snacks!" She declares even as she passes by Donna to give her a pat on the foot before she moves toward said snacks.

"Gotta keep the engine thumpin' before I can start judging all this art." She nods her head and casually leaps up on to a snack table to peer at the various options.

Donna Troy has posed:
    Betrayed! Betrayed by a mouse! Kaida is clearly not coming to Donna's rescue to scare away the tedious journalist, because /food/ exists. Nevertheless the passing of the mouse-Titans does silence the journalist for a while, and then Diana's coming to the rescue!

    "Oh Diana, you don't need to buy one," Donna says with a grin. She snags a bottle of champagne from a passing waiter to top up Diana's glass and then her own. "I think that might count as cheating. "

    "You saw Harley's here?" she asks, gesturing in the direction where Harley is waving Di-wards. "Cait's gone over to greet her. She seems to have brought a friend."

    A friend who, despite claims to a truly absurd name, has been outed by Harley, who obviously wasn't paying attention to fake names. Yet more betrayal! Now that Harley has outed Jinx as being Jinx, a name that is well flagged on the Titan's rogues gallery roster, this could mean trouble. Luckily none of the Titans who have previously seem Jinx are in attendance today!

Jinx has posed:
Jinx has to remain silent on the one question she can't get answers to right now.. what the heck does 'suwah' mean. But it'll have to wait before apparently Harley is pen pal's with Titans. It's like the bad luck just won't stop following her around.

She knows why - it's her bad luck giving diet. She's trying not to be the villain and make peoples lives worse which is doing exactly what she thought it'd do - making her life worse. How is that fair? welcome to Jinx's teenage years replaying as an adult.

She casually laughs, "Or just Jinx for short..." A waiter passing by, she shifts her purse as she passes by to get a read on his card and then clears her throat as Harley suggests they go meet _more_ heroes. A villainess is not meant to go about casually meeting superheroes, it's just not done! even if she is turning over a new leaf.

"Fighting monsters isn't really my thing it just happens from time to time and.. ahh no let's not bother the celebrities they get mobbed enough by paparazzi and the like," she says shying away from this entire encounter. It might be worth cutting her losses and leaving now - she has enough information, may be, to steal what she wants.

Her cagey looks glance toward the various exits, "No seriously Harls I think I'm good." Her entire mood has shifted. The last thing she wants is to end up in an unprepared fight against.. holy shirt balls is that Wonder Woman standing next to Donna Troy? and is that a talking mouse?

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Oh, I dunno. We got a wendigo ..., couple of werewolves ... and that other franken-dude. That last one was scary." So the others weren't? Harley is talking casual too. Because talking monster-lingo is what people do at art galleries!

"Don't worry, they seem to be coming our way.." She says to Jinx, arm still wrapped with her friend's. Keeping her in place! All that strength. Harley is all smiles though. "Heeeeey, how are you? And offerin' a piece? Was just telling Jinx heah that I was at that beach when I went visit with my roomie. Great memories.."

Free arm gestures around. "This all looks great."

Diana Prince has posed:
Kaida receives a smile and a wave down at the mouse with the most from Diana, who then looks up again when she sees her drink is being topped off again. "Oh yes, this is the important part of the evening." She comments in her naturally husky hued voice. Her eyes dart over to her sister then. "Well, that and your art of course." She teases her and offers a bit of an elbow nudge. "And cheating is entirely expected when you invite family to these things, is it not?" She asks with an ever so gentle tilt of her head in a questioning fashion.

But then she's looking over to Harely, and this other linked to arms with her. Diana, obviously Wonder Woman too, smiles to Jinx and is soon shifting her drink glass around before offering Jinx a handshake.

"A friend of Harley's is a friend to be." The Princess states. "I am Diana, it is a pleasure to meet you, I hope." She grins playfully before looking back to Harley...

"There are several on the island who are still asking about you, and when you might return for another visit. It would seem that your last, with your roommate, has left an impression in the minds of many of our people there..." She glimmers a hint of a grin then.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Returning to the group only a few moments later is a plate. Yes, a plate. Well, what's under the plate may be more important than the plate but the plate does run into Donna's ankle and then does it again.

"Hey! A little help!" She calls out from below the plate that is stacked with various snacks and if lifted will reveal a mouse girl who then leaps on to it as it is lifted and then looksa round.

"So, this all looks delicious." She states as she has grabbed basically a bit of every finger food and then stacked a bit more than that on top of it. Could she have just eaten on the floor? Sure, but why when she can have someone else potentially lift her plate to eye level.

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin falls in with the group, and at Kaida's plaintive call for help the redhead stoops carefully to hoist up the platter and the mouseketeer. She considerately holds the plate at her mid-chest level so Kaida is able to make eye-contact with everyone. Being as big and strong as she is, Caitlin would make a champion plate-holder-carrier in a waitress competition.

"You know Dr. Quinn was my advisor for my Criminal Justice degree, right?" Caitlin asks, gesturing vaguely at the blonde. "And we even got special permission to let her sit in on my first thesis defense via livestream. She, uh, couldn't get permission to come to the college,' Caitlin clarifies, and coughs delicately to force herself to stop talking.

Donna Troy has posed:
    The ankle-nudging has Donna peering down, but Caitlin beats her to the punch when it comes to plate-holding duties, so Donna contents herself with grinning at the now eye-level mouse. Donna contents herself with greetings instead.

    "Hey Harley, nice to see you here! Didn't know you were into the arts," she says with a wide smile. "Vorpal was going to come along but something came up. He'll be disappointed to have missed you."

    When it comes to Harley's plus-one, Donna offers a hand. "Jinx, was it?" she says. "Nice to meet you. I'm Donna Troy. This is Diana, Caitlin and Kaida." Is she looking a little harder at Jinx than might be normal? Is there a hint of suspicion in her eyes? Does she recognize the name, which is prominent on the Titan's Wanted list? If so she's not giving it away right now.

    A somewhat embarrassed passer-by stops, stares at the plate Caitlin is holding, blinks a few times, and ums loudly. "Miss? You uh... there seems to be uh... there's a mouse on your plate, eating your foo..." he looks more closely at the mouse, notices how she's dressed, and starts to back away. "Uh... never mind."

Jinx has posed:
Jinx snaps her fingers, "Sure. Suwah means Sure. I get it now." Her mind really has been stuck on that one word trying to figure out what Harley was saying. She does try to pull away from Harley a little bit she's holding on tight and yes, that super strength.

The question is.. maximum squirm time? would that even work? very awkward in public and would absolutely give the game away. Harley will let go of her soon right? Annnd now Wonder Woman is in front of her offering her hand. Oh how tempting it would be to jinx her.

She reaches out a hand and takes the Amazon's hand and gives it a shake. She does not gift bad luck to the Amazon. How is this even happening right now. It's beyond surreal to her. But weirdly they all seem so supportive of each other. Not at all like her 'family' the Fearsome Five were.

"Hiii Diana." First name basis with Wonder Woman. The bar with no name is going to be laughing their butts off when she tells them about this encounter. She looks back over at the photo in question and asks, "Is that a beach on Themyscira?" Because that makes it worth more than the Moon photo. Then again, Harley likes it.. now there's a conundrum. Money v Harley priorities.

Jinx peers at Harley, "You didn't tell me you're a doctor." Also a nudge in to her side. "Of criminology? or..." Caitlin has a degree in criminology. This really is tempting fate at this point. And now she's eye to eye with a talking mouse on a plate.

"Harley how are you friends with these people?" Not 'how do you know these people', no, she has a warped sense of family and friendship thanks to her upbringing. And then she's shaking the hand of the woman she's intending to rob - Diana Troy. Another pleasant smile. Or is that more of an amused grin.

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Raven is not heard, nor seen, when she arrives. Instead, she is felt. There is a presence that emerges in the room that isn't well known- and easy to disregard, for most there. However, there is one person that can easily recognize when Rae is present- or, perhaps, about to /be/ present.

    It is the person she is suddenly standing next to, the woman to whom this whole event is dedicated. Donna Troy. As if she had always been there at the other woman's side, Raven makes no entrance: She simply Is.

    In silence, she lingers there, expecting either to be noticed and ignored, or not noticed at all- dressed casually, and not in the sorceress garb she is most known as while acting as a Titan, her looming presence is taken up at Donna's right.

    It is, however, somewhat hard to ignore the sudden appearance of the gothic figure, for those looking to do so. She has an air about her- and is displeased that she is so late, something that does not show in her features, but does show somewhat in how close she has chosen to appear to Donna.

    This is important, and she curses that she has been so busy.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Mmmm, oh?" Harley looks a bit confused for a moment when someone speaks of a mouse. Then her eyes go down to the lil Kaida. "Mighty mouse! Oh, hello!" she grins widely. "Haven't seen you since Wonderland.." there's a fingerwiggle given in the mouse's direction, then looking back up to the others. She laughs at what Caitlin says. "Yea, I can't imagine why they'd stop me from goin'..." yes, she does.

Eyes go wide at what Didi says, "That's an invitation? Because I am gonna take it and go there again for a visit. We gonna have some fuuuun..." it's clear she is already making plans in her head.

Jinx's questions makes her look over to her, "Mmm, oh yea, phd and all that. Mind doctor.." she taps her head. Because of course she is. "My specialty was the minds of the criminals."

"My story with the Titans is long and rich." She tells Jinx about how she knows them. "All thanks to Vorpal really at the start! But it's too long to go deep into it. One day!"

Diana Prince has posed:
A glance is given over at the selection of artistic displays from her sister. "I'm quite fond of the black and white spectrum used on Themyscira. It reminds me of how different a place can be when you view it in a way that you have never thought of before."

Diana looks back to those she's speaking with, offers a smile, and a lingering 'look' to Jinx before she catches a buzzing sound on her side and reaches down to pick her phone out of a slip pocket on the side of her attire. "Oh, I have to take this." She says, touching Donna's arm and giving her a 'look' to before she moves to step away, her phone coming to her ear as she slips around a few other party patrons milling about...

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"Thanks, Cait!" Kaida declares at the help from the large woman that makes it very easy for her to be at eye level given Cait's eyes are above eye level. She casually sits on the plate and starts building cracker based cheese sandwiches only to blink at the passing man and then she raises a tiny paw like hand to him.

"No autographs, please!" She nods her head and then grins as she chomps on her food. She then looks over to Jinx and sniffs the air a little, her ear twitching as she takes in all the things happening with Jinx at the introdocution of all the heavy hitters. She's just casually watching when her ear twitches again and she turns her head toward Rachel.

"Rae!" She declares and stands up on the plate to wave, "You're late but it's ok, I was a little late, too! They have snacks!" SHe lifts up her cracker sandwich to wave it at Rae before consuming it with incredible speed and then she points to the table.

"Gonna have to get your own. I'm only kinda sharing with Cait cause she was nice enough to hold the plate." She nods, "I'm VERY hungry." Which is true most of the time anyway but more true now. She only casually watches as Diana walks off, distracted from her greeting of Rae and her food to listen too closely to what Harley is saying.

Donna Troy has posed:
    You get used to sudden appearances at your side when you spend as much time with Raven as Donna does. Though there may be a few reactions from others around to the sudden appearance as if from nothing of the sorceress, Donna does not even turn her head, simply reaching a hand to give Raven's a surreptitious squeeze of affection. Clearly she's not upset that Raven was late. She made it, that's all that matters to Donna.

    Donna smiles and nods at Diana as she makes her excuses, and fills in for her by replying to Harley's question: "Of course it's an invitation," she replies with a grin. "You barely scratched the surface of Themyscira's nightlife when you were there before, so many bars you didn't visit yet."

    Then Jinx's question: "It is," Donna confirms. The photo with the old stone wall and the one with the dead deer in the forest are taken on Themyscira too." She gestures to point out a couple of other prints on the walls. "Please excuse my suddenly-appearing friend. Raven finds magic to be a more convenient mode of transport than vehicles. I'm sure you know how it is."

    Was that just a casual and meaningless pleasantry, or is there more to it that that? Is Donna suspicious, or was it just a throw-away line? Things may be getting a little hot for Jinx. Could some more Titans be about to turn up? One who has seen Jinx face-to-face?

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
    Nadia is late, which is unfortunately often the case with how many hats she wears, since she hasn't created a true time travel device yet, at least not that she's let on. Experiments run long, science threats have no respect for schedules, Yachts run on their own version of time, or maybe that's the snacks Janet serves on the yachts... there are so many potential causes and it really could be any of them. But for all of the forces that might conspire to keep her from viewing Donna's photo exhibition, she would not miss the chance to see her friends art display and so here she is ready to support her and look at all the cool pictures of her favorite holiday destination. The Seychelles are great and all, but Amazon lady paradise island still wins the top prize.

    So it is that Nadia steps into the gallery. She's dressed in her favorite black T-Shirt with 'Just a GIRL who loves Wasps' emblazoned across it in stylized pink script, a designer red and black hoodie in a minor acknowledgement of the season change, and her purple and pink GIRL bomber jacket. Below the jacket is a red and black plaid skirt that puts the fore mentioned acknowledgement of season change in doubt and a pair of knee-high black leather boots.

    "Donna! Everyone!" She calls out momentarily forgetting that of course there will be Non-Titans present at a public exhibition. "Hi! Sorry, I'm late! One of the satellites in the Avengers network had a degrading orbit and Janet asked me to fix it."

Rachel Roth has posed:
    It is not an immediate sense that something is amiss, from Raven. Donna's presence, the squeeze of her hand, that all does something to keep her just slightly off of her general dislike of other people being present in a general sense. As such, after a moment, her attention shifts to Jinx. There is not a fight going on /right now./ So the woman goes unheeded, for now.

    She can, however, feel that the woman isn't... Suppressing herself. That goes noted.

    "I am sorry that I am late." she expresses to Donna, before looking over towards Kaida. "That's... Nice." The mouse has been addressed, and that's the best she can do. Her attention turns back to Donna. There's a hooking of their arms. A soft lean in to the other woman.

    "I have not yet asked to accompany you on any of your shoots. I wish to know how you pick what to photograph." she notes, keeping her hood down so that the gesture is more... Personal. Clearly, her attention is focused on Donna.

Jinx has posed:
With Diana leaving, Jinx smiles while internally she screams a little. One down, three to go.... four to go. She stares at Raven for a long moment. "Hm what?," she says to Harley as her words catch up in her brain, "Right. Mind doctor. That's pretty impressive for a bounty hunter. Why don't you do that instead? pays better right?"

The way they keep looking at her. They know right? they must know. Fiiinally Harley stops holding on to her. Now's her chance to excuse herself. Does she ditch Harley and just go? it might be the safest course of action. A shame, she was enjoying hanging out with a reformed criminal.

Her last encounter with the Titans resulted with her in jail. HIVE helped her escape of course but even by then she was thinking of leaving the Fearsome Five. For one, they were never five - so whoever came up with that name was an idiot. But she wasn't so sure picking fights with superhero teams was really the best idea. Dr. Light was an idiot.

She replies cautiously to Donna as she's asked about magic. "Must be nice..." Truly though, she's been wanting to figure out how to do that ever since Harley brought it up the other day. She has theories but the 'suddenly there' that Raven just pulled off tells her everything she needs to know about her capabilities. Too much.

"Well it's been lovely looking at your photograph, but it's time I headed home. Harley feel free to stay and chat with your friends. I'll call you later," she smiles and pats Harley on the arm absentmindedly. Awkward finger guns she turns and there is Nadia, aka The Wasp... ette? "Bollocks."

No time like the present to cause a whole heap of chaos and gtfo. An almost apologetic look is given to the group of people, "It's been a blast, really." The energy that powers her magic, luck, erupts from her in a wave all around giving every body the bad luck she's been storing up.

A patron of the arts turns and bumps in to another patron spilling their drink. A third slips on the spilt drink and thuds to the ground knocking the wall which makes the paintings jump and the alarms suddenly spring to life.

Jinx hoiks up her skirt and runs for the nearest exit.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
"Hey, Nadia!" Kaida stands up to wave to her and then grins at Rae only for her to blink as she senses something happening and then her eyes go to Jinx and she stares at her. She is about to say something when she takes a step forward and she's not sure what is happening with Cait but suddenly the plate she was standing on is not under her anymore. She blinks as she falls toward the floor.

Now, normally this wouldn't be a big deal at all for the mouse. Falling from 6 foot up is not really any type of a fall but as she is falling some reporter person is falling backward and backhands to the mouse to send her flying. Poor man probably has a bruised hand but either way Kaida goes flailing up and over in an arc only to land right in a punch bowl with a kersplash!

Donna Troy has posed:
    The truth is that Jinx's Jinx wave notwithstanding, Donna's luck was jinxed as soon as Jinx walked through the door. Another exhibition ruined! There are screams as the sprinkler system malfunctions in one corner of the room, drenching a good third of the attendees and ruining several prints. The gallery owner is nursing a black eye where an unfortunate ricochet deflected a popping champagne cork exactly where you don't want them to go. An elderly and esteemed patron of the arts, who had until a few moments ago been certain to purchase several prints, is now screaming hysterically while her husband and a waiter struggle to put out the flames that have somehow managed to catch the hem of her dress.

    Perhaps that's why Donna's passage to the doorway is unimpeded. The Amazon reacts fast, and moves faster, dodging between panicking patrons and speeding past Jinx to block her exit.

    No such luck. Donna has only just started to give Jinx a triumphant grin when in the street outside a canoe strapped to the top of a passing car slips its ropes, flips across the sidewalk and crashes straight through the full-height window next to the door. There are a few additional screams as shards of glass tumble into the gallery, but nobody's badly hurt. On the other hand, Jinx's exit is no longer blocked.

    Donna glances at the now wide-open window, and back at Jinx, and sighs. "I mean you could," she says. "But you really won't get far." She gestures behind where Diana and the Titans, though temporarily held back by the chaos, are not far away. And of course where one of them probably doesn't have to worry about intervening obstacles due to the whole casual teleportation thing.

    "You just wrecked my exhibition," Donna points out to Jinx. "If you surrender right now, then you don't get punched for it. I recommend not finding out how hard I punch people who ruin my exhibition. The last people to make that mistake were the Warzoon army."

    As she talks Donna is reaching beneath her Jacket, and there's a glow of golden light in her hands. Donna had her lasso tucked away under her jacket, and she's preparing to use it!

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
    Nadia waves to Kaida, and Cait, and Rae, and everyone she knows, and that pink haired girl, wait pink haired girl? Nadia peers at Jinx for a moment like she's trying to place her, the events of two years prior not fresh in her mind. "Don't I know you?" She asks curiously when Jinx turns to face her. There is a look of slow dawning recognition coming to Nadia's face as she takes a step towards the pink haired girl, but the question is never answered as Jinx unleashes her bad luck wave and chaos ensues from there.

    As Nadia steps forward she is on the receiving end of a wholly unfamiliar experience. The Red Room taught her many things and as a rule while her clothing may at times appear haphazard it is always very carefully placed and her shoe laces immaculately tied. On top of this there was all of the martial arts and dance training, never mind the performance enhancing serum. Thus, for Nadia to not only have an untied boot lace, but to further trip on it, completely lose her balance, and faceplant forward sprawled out on the floor is unheard of. But that's exactly what happens after Jinx's magic has its way with her. "Uwaaah! Ack! Owww..." There are a whole series of awkward noises but the end result is the Waspette face down the ground rubbing her head with one hand as tries to figure out what happened. Jinx of course, has already made her break for it by the time Nadia looks up again.

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Countering Jinx's Jinxing is no mean feat... For a crowd of people. For Raven, who has already gleaned that the woman is altering the world around her, keeping herself free of its effects is within her divination. As such, Raven does not slip in champagne. She is not under a sprinkler that goes off, and she isn't in the way of shards of glass that shower some patrons.

    Luckily, she also remembered to do things such as tie her boots, and not wear high heels. Raven is too pragmatic to suffer wardrobe malfunctions. By god, it's almost as if she planned for this by being... Sensibly dressed. The fiend.

    Regardless of that, the fire suppression system in the gallery is not something she wishes to stop- she cannot let the fires go unabated. Donna's photography is precious, but it can be reprinted. Nothing here is lost except the experience and pride... And harming Donna's pride in particular does send Raven into a mood.

    She steps forward, and her shadow lashes out. Donna is guarding the exit, but there is still an exit. Raven seeks to close that loophole. Her soul self creeps along the floor with haste, extending from her like a great, poisonous infection on the tile, towards Jinx. If the woman is paying attention, what happens may be avoidable- but it is one of Raven's favorite things.

    As Jinx runs forward, if she is not careful, she will fall into the shadow- and then reappear some feet above it. To fall into it again. To reappear again. Ad, literal, nauseam. It would not subdue her of course- and is not physically dangerous, as the momentum is not preserved. She would not reach terminal velocity. Just inconvenient velocity.

    The hope is to make her easy pickings for Troia... Whenever it were to stop being funny, if there is such a thing.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx pauses as Donna blocks the exit and has a rather cocky grin on her face. Her eyes adjust to the zoom of the canoe as it crashes in to the front of the gallery. She half steps through the window and looks at Donna as she speaks. "You don't understand. If I go back to prison they'll kill me.. and then you're all fucked."

There's something about Jinx's expression, her face perhaps. There's no gloat there, no smirk. There is a touch of fear but most of all it is possibly the most honest she's ever looked to a Titan.

She looks back to Harley who is somehow trying to help catch an expensive bottle of champagne as it slipperily dances from hand to hand with a waiter. It's doomed to fall and smash, that's a given.

"Sorry about yer shindig," she says and kicks off her shoes. Barefoot is always better. And also there's a garden bed right outside the gallery because greenery makes a city nice to live in. She dashes to jump in to the soil and make sure her get away is good when she falls in to that shadow.. and falls.. and falls.

Twisting about she tries to find purchase, catch anything she can, but really she knows quickly enough she is stuck. Her eyes fall on Rachel back in the gallery, then she has to twist herself around to look at her again each time she falls. "This is pants!," she calls out to the other magic user.

Kaida Connolly has posed:
Climbing up out of the fluid, Kaida stares in the direction of the door and glares. She pulls herself up and over and on to the table, shaking off fluid before sucking in a breath as she looks over her outfit and then casually caresses her sword. She has to sometimes remind herself that inflicting great bodily harm upon her enemies isn't always hte answer. Not always.

Only somtimes.

Only once in a while.

OK, well, now she's racing across the area but the whole place has become an obstacle course even for her. Her usual bursts of speed won't do as someone could get hurt. Still, she's quick and she's zipping up fallen walls, leaping over people, landing on heads and moving in the direction of Jinx's escape path.

Donna Troy has posed:
    The question of Donna's pride might be one area where Raven has a small blind spot. After all Donna is supremely self-confident which does look very like pride, and Raven's virtually made of pride. Her exhibition is ruined which is certainly a source of /frustration/ to Donna, but her real source of pride is taken in those she cares about. She takes pride in the speed at which Diana and Caitlin have been resolving the chaos inside the gallery, and making sure everyone's safe. In fires put out, people dragged out of the way of shards of breaking glass, in chaos averted and injuries spared. She takes pride in the determination with which Kaida and Nadia refuse to allow their misfortunes to stop them -- already Kaida is there and prepared to fight, and Nadia's not far behind. And of course she takes pride in Raven's quick-thinking portal trick.

    Donna approaches Jinx in her eternal falling mode casually, her lasso now ready in her hands. There's no immediate move to restrain Jinx or spare her dizzying effects of her predicament. Raven's right, it /is/ funny. Perhaps that's something of Raven that has rubbed off on her. "I'd say that sounds like the definition of /you/ being fucked," Donna replies to Jinx. "Being killed isn't easy to come back from. On the other hand, we're /really good/ at dealing with tricky situations. "

    Donna starts to circle. "So worry about your own skin, not about ours. If going back to jail is such a worry for you, perhaps you should rethink some of your life choices."

    Finally, Donna's lasso whips out to encircle Jinx, and she lifts off from the ground to dangle Jinx from the end of the rope, and spare her more falling -- or any contact with the ground. And possibly from the vengefulness of a wet, angry mouse.

    "Think fast," she tells Jinx. "Because if you want to stay out of jail, you're going to have to give us a much better reason than that."

Rachel Roth has posed:
    Raven's hands find her pockets, and calmly she keeps up the teleportation shenanigans for quite a while, until eventually Donna's merciful side comes out of her, and Jinx is removed. Slinking along the ground, the shadowy material of her soul self returns to Raven.

    There are soft splashes as the hard soles of her boots make their way through the gallery until she is standing alongside the captured woman and Donna. "We can't be responsible for her demise." Raven reminds, before taking a moment to look at Jinx.

    "No matter how much we wish to." It is an odd thing- that act of mercy, coupled with her intense monotone causing her to sound the opposite of sympathetic- and quite genuinely willing to end Jinx at the same stroke.

    Her hood has found its way about her features. When and how, is something of a mystery. It leaves the lower half of her face exposed, yet the upper half- all that can be seen is the softly glowing purple of her unnaturally colored eyes.

    "Perhaps we take her to a different prison, this time. Someplace safer. Perhaps while she's there she tells the authorities everything she knows. It seems to me..." She states, leaning in somewhat towards the dangling Jinx.

    "That if she wants to live, it should be important to create a vested interest in those who decide just how secure her imprisonment is."

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
    Nadia of course picks herself up off the floor. Once the initial shock of having actually tripped over her own boot lace wears off she bounces back fast. "Right! That's who you are! The pink magic jinx lady!" She shouts as she watches Jinx fall from shadow patch to shadow patch over and over again her head looking up and following Jinx down only to look up for her next arrival each time. A mental note is made to definitely never annoy Raven. "There's far fewer of you this time." She notes studying Jinx curiously, for SCIENCE! of course. Followed by, "Did you not like the pictures?" The important questions.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx finds it a relief to be dangling from the lasso instead of falling weirdly over and over again. Her stomach is rather upset and she catches her breath a moment. Her dress has some how managed to survive the chaos and broken glass too.

It takes her a moment to figure out which way is up again and she peers at the Titans as they gather about her. "I can't believe you lot haven't even figured it out yet. I figured it out. It's a big conspiracy ain't it. HIVE.. HIVE want me dead because I left them and know too much."

"The fuckers are everywhere and you haven't even noticed. Don't you wonder why nothing ever gets better for people year after year? prices go up, wages go down, people miserably keep pushing on any way. Billionaires keep getting richer. It ain't natural, it's by design. Villains commit big crimes and Heroes stop them and everybody cheers you on, but then they go back to barely being able to afford food to keep the heating going."

"Don't tell me you don't even know about HIVE at all?.. doesn't bloody well matter if you don't believe me because when I'm murdered you'll know I told you the truth. I left the Five, I left HIVE, and I've been on the run ever since."

She looks over to Harley who successfully catches the bottle on the neck label, only for that label to slide off and the bottle to crash to the floor, "Just the other day Harls and me were attacked by a frankendjinn.. didn't even know such a thing bloody existed 'til it tried to chop me head off with a scimitar. Seriously, who frankensteins a djinn?! They ain't messing around. I have to keep on the move now; and prison.. prison is a death sentence."

And it isn't even an lasso of truth. This isn't the same Jinx who brashly attacked the Titan's Tower, who knocked out Heather Danielson with a blast of lightning and kicked Nadia, Red Room trained, right in the side as if she were a noob.

She visibly surrenders to the lasso though and dangles there. "Whatever. If it's not you who ends me it'll be whoever the Five are now and if the Five can't do the job it'll be that frankendjinn and if that fails HIVE will just send another assassin.. and another.. and another. Yeah, yer right Donna Troy, I am fucked. But I don't just mean you lot.. I really mean everyone. The whole world is fucked. HIVE is coming for everyone."

She peers at Rachel and her wild eyes for a moment, "You know as well as I do anyone who can resurrect a djinn - there's no such thing as a prison safe enough. I have only one course of action - I take them down before they take me down. Simple equation. So that's what I'm doing."

The almost jarring question from Nadia hits her and she blinkblinks, "Nah straight, I was disappointed last time the gallery got cancelled. I wasn't going to miss it this time. Donna is seriously talented with a camera."

Donna Troy has posed:
    Donna's not going to fall for the siren song of people praising her photography! Not going to happen, nosiree! Jinx can continue to dangle.

    "We know about HIVE," Donna says. In the threat files on the systems at Titan's Tower, there is indeed a file for HIVE. It reads 'H.I.V.E. Unknown threat. Apparently well-resourced, focus on technology. No idea what the initials actually stand for (see case #2127 and #2322). KNOWN ASSOCIATIONS: Gizmo (TI #411, Mammoth (TI #277).'

    After a beat, Donna adds "But not enough. If you're prepared to remedy that, we might have the basis for a deal."

    Donna tilts her head, looking at Raven, while Jinx continues to dangle. "What do you think, Rae? Resurrected Djinn. Sounds to me likes Jinx here is fucked, right? No prison going to stop that. What do you think about the Tower's wards? Could be it's the only place that's going to be safe enough." Her eyes flick across to Nadia and Kaida, and then to Caitlin and Diana, who having brought the place to some kind of order, are rapidly approaching to offer any backup if needed. "I suppose if she asked /really nicely/ we could find a space for her in the secure holding cells at the tower for a little while. Obviously we'd have to give her the regular magic-user warnings about not trying anything magical in a place where Raven has had almost a decade to prepare wards for. Of course she might be stuck there a very long time unless we take out HIVE for her. What do you guys think?"

Nadia Pym-van Dyne has posed:
    Nadia nods thoughtfully at Jinx's answer to her question. "I think she genuinely wanted to see your pictures Donna. She seems much nicer than the last time, also scared. I know what's it's like to be on the run from secret organizations, that seem to have almost unlimited resources, after running away. I think we should help her." She smiles at Jinx, which is probably vastly preferable to the swarm of stinging insects from their last encounter.

Rachel Roth has posed:
    There is a long moment of silence from Raven.

    What breaks this impeccable, implacable facade of hers is a single, simple statement. "Can we cease bandying about the word fucked while dangling a woman in a skirt by a rope?"

    Before, finally, a thought occurs to her. "Just take her to the watchtower. HIVE would have to assault the whole of the Justice League to even /get in./"

    Her attention shifts up to Donna then, Raven straightening. She takes a step or two and starts doing some of her part in cleaning up the mess. The Canoe is rolled back- magically repairing as it does so, until it lands upon the truck outside. The glass seems to rewind in time, each little shard helpfully unsplintering itself and returning to the frame. Her hands, however, have left the safety of her pockets to do this, gentle digits ensconced in purple energy.

    "Donna's galleries do not get cancelled often, and she is very gifted. Flattery, however, will only get you on my nerves. We have seen where that leaves you."

    Having corrected the majority of the physical damage Jinx caused, Raven starts to exude an aura of calm- stealing from the patrons their panic and fear, allowing them to accept aid and rending from the air the chaos that had ensued. People start to feel like everything is going to be a-okay.

    Empathy does, of course, have its uses.

    "Do you think this HIVE-" Yes, Raven has not read the records, what little they may be. "Could possibly take on the entire Justice League just to stop you from talking?"

Jinx has posed:
Jinx looks past Donna back at Harley who is chatting with the waiter who is crying over the destroyed bottle. It seems she's calming him down and helping him move on from the accident and the chaos. Mind doctor, how'd she not figure that out sooner? Wait, has Harley been profiling her this whole time?

She jerks in the lasso a little and sighs, "You wot, make me disappear in a hole somewhere. I might as well be dead. I'll help you fill in the gaps but if you're going after HIVE I'm part of that story."

A serious look, she has a lot of skin in the game but the look in her eyes is one that's troubled too. Angry and hurt might better described it as she glances away from the Titans.

Though Nadia's words bring her look back to her. She doesn't understand how this woman could possibly understand what she's going through. It seems impossible yet, may be she does get it.

Though Raven seems to want to up the stakes. "Huh. They wouldn't have to. The Justice League would turn me over to them. HIVE isn't like your ... whoever it is your bad guys typically are. The Five was just a tool they used to manipulate. That's what they do - they coerce, they manipulate, they mind control, they recruit. That's why you know nothing about them. Everybody involved gets rich and happy and everything goes their way."

Donna Troy has posed:
"Like whoever our bad guys typically are?" Donna echoes, looking slightly amused. She gives the lasso a light jerk, enough to bump Jinx around a bit. It's a little reminder, something Donna usually does to let people know just how little their weight means to her, though Jinx has spent enough time around Mammoth to be not too phased by these super-strength types. She is however sensitive to the issues Raven has raised, and it's not a jink that will jerk Jinx's dress in an unfortunate manner.

    "There is no typical. Sometimes it's some idiot bank robbers. Sometimes it's galactic conquerors, or an army of undead centaurs trying to break out of hell, or the gods themselves. You'd be amazed how often things don't go their way when we get involved, Jinx."

    Donna falls silent for a few moments, thinking things over. She gives Nadia a barely perceptible nod, knowing full well what the young Titan is talking about, and why she's being sympathetic. All around things are coming to a semblance of order under the ministrations of Raven's empathic force, and the tableau by the broken window is starting to attract some attention.

    "Not the Watchtower," Donna concludes eventually. "That would just be passing the buck. HIVE have caused us trouble in the past, and it's about time we paid them some attention. However I want Jinx to understand the situation she's in, because I think she's looking for a way out and doesn't quite yet know where that way out is. In case she didn't take the warning seriously, Rae... could you give her just the slightest glimpse of what it is your wards at the tower are supposed to buy us time from? So she takes these things seriously?"

Rachel Roth has posed:
    "We are not a for profit venture. You cannot buy your way into the Tower." Raven speaks, agreeing with Donna all the sudden as she had appeared. "Furthermore, if one wishes to convince us with methods beyond the mundane, they would have to contest with /me./"

    There is an echo to her voice, a chilling, unnatural thing that belies her demonic nature. A moment afterwards, Donna implores her to help illustrate the nature of the Tower's defenses.

    "Let me show you."

    Raven surrounds them for a moment in a globe, her shadow rising around them. It is in that moment that they are in a fractal representation of nothingness, like a mirror in the dark, yet both Raven and Jinx are visible.

    Raven's form then twists and disappears, and the darkness seems to come alive. Moving with shapes unnatural- to comprehend it is a complex affair, something that seems to require understanding of dimensions beyond the mere four that they exist in.

    Then come the eyes, watching and staring unblinking, all the wrong shades of colors that Jinx was not aware existed- not simply eye colors that are not normal, but in colors that humans cannot normally see. Thousands upon thousands, all imparting a sense of all-consuming, intense /hunger./

    Yet then, there is the sensation of teeth- like blades, but bearing that wet warmth that tells that they are not weapons of war, but rather consumption. Sharp like knives, at the neck and where the limbs connect.

    "These are the threats I have envisioned to defend the Tower from. Things unknowable by a mind uneducated of the monstrosities outside of this realm of reality. Your HIVE does not compare."

    Is it a bluff? Are the magical defenses of the tower really on that level? Does the truth of it even matter in the face of whatever the /fuck/ Raven happens to be doing right now? All good questions.

    It falls to Jinx to ask whichever ones she will.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx finds herself in that darkness. She's not sure if it's just an illusion or some place that's real. It's hard to tell but that's the point. She looks around as the darkness moves, as its eyes watch and its teeth gnash. She jerks about on Donna's rope a little.

Her eyes widened a touch she asks, "What the hell was that?" She knows enough to know how otherworldly it was. But may be the Tower can hold out against HIVE's sorcerers. Then again the Tower didn't stand up against the Fearsome Five. She's not sure what to think.

"Alright, what do you bloody want? I'm cooperating here already. Telling you things that'll get you killed just for knowing. What more do you want? Let me fight these pricks and I'll tell you everything I know."

Donna Troy has posed:
    "That was an illustration of how lucky you were last time, when you messed with the Titans before." The words are whispered into Jinx's ear as the darkness and the vision of /things/ fades from Jinx's eyes and the interior of the gallery comes back into view. While she was 'away', Donna had lifted her a little to bring her ear close. "You caught us with our pants down. The cats are back now."

    And that's it. Donna lowers Jinx carefully to the floor, letting her bare feet come in contact with the now somewhat damp carpet of the gallery floor before she loosens the lasso with a flick of her wrist and frees Jinx.

    "You want a chance to live, your best chance is with us," Donna says. "You want to see HIVE dealt with, so do we. No holding back, you tell us everything you know. You help us bring them down. ONE chance, Jinx. You lie to us, I'll know. You try to run, we'll catch you. You betray us, we'll throw you to the wolves. You play it straight, you help us out... you get a chance to start over. We'll clear things for you with the authorities. You wouldn't be the first."

    Donna returns her lasso to the inside of her jacket and looks around at the devastation with a sigh. "And the next time I have a exhibition, anyone who messes it up I hit first and ask questions later."