13867/A Bumpy Start

A Bumpy Start
Date of Scene:	17 January 2023
Location:	W02 - Empty Dorm - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Harley comes 'round to turn that frown upside down. Jinx realises she actually has a friend. This is a new concept for her.
Cast of Characters:	Jinx, Harley Quinn

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Jinx has posed:
Between the anger and the fear and the uncertainty, it's been a rough few hours since she talked with the Titans in the main room. Yes, Gar huffed off somewhere but she can't just wander off by herself. Donna would come after her - or Raven.

So she's in the spare room that she's been given. On the bed, which she stripped of the nice sheets and piled in the corner neatly folded. Staring at the ceiling, at one of the sigils drawn there. Can this place really hold back a frankendjinn? can the Titan's really fight back against HIVE. She isn't so sure. But it's a better chance than in jail.

Her hands are behind her head and she is replaying the disastrous attempt at casing the gallery in her mind. Why did she think it was a good idea to go there? what kind of hubris must she have, the ovaries on this one, to think that she'd get away with it.

The flyer for it had literally blown down the sidewalk and in to her chest. When the wind hands you a clue you pay attention, right? that's the way these things work. The universe is probably laughing at her now. "You're an idiot," she says to herself out loud. She needs to hear the words. What made her think she could ever get along with a bunch of do-gooders like the Titans.

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harley had known what had happened. Because of course she had, even if she might had been sidetracked back at the gallery. But now? Here she was.

"I am comin' in!" That's the familiar voice heard from the doorway before a hip bump gets the door open. Because her arms are tied up with a tray of food! "I hope you are presentable! Or bettah yet, not be.." a bit of a wicked little grin on her expression. And her eyes are closed. While walking in with a full tray.

A disaster waiting to happen.

"Heard you were shacking up with the Titans." No judgement in her tone. Does she know who Jinx is by now?

Jinx has posed:
Jinx sits up when she hears Harley's voice. "Harley wai... t" Too late, she's already entered the room. It's laid out in a very militaristic sort of way. Very bare, very precise, very utilitarian. This is not how the Titans keep their spare guest room.

It's clear she's not in the best of moods. Still simmering from the encounter in the main room but at least Harley has brought in some of that pizza. "They let you come and go as you please here?," she asks wondering why that'd be the case. Well, more than just 'friends' with some Titans then. They're clearly on a first Tower basis.

She swings her legs over to sit on the side of the bed and hangs her head down, her arms resting on her knees. A sigh escapes her lips and she says, "Okay. Let me have it. I'm a bad person yadda yadda yadda. Believe me I've heard it all before and it's fine - just stab the knife in quick and pull it out cleanly would you."

Harley Quinn has posed:
It's a good question. HOW is Harley here? Is she a Titan?! "Where a clownette wishes to go there is no stopping her.." this said with a puffed out chest. As Jinx doesn't say how presentable she is or not Harley just goes on assuming so she finally opens her eyes! Right in time to dodge the pile of sheets on the floor. "Well, look at that ..., egyptian cotton not your style?"

"Told you it was a long story.." A beam of a smile back at her friend, "They sorta let me hang ever since a group of 'em disappeared in outer space and I cam heah to help. Blablabla.. Anyways, Vorpal vouched foh me."

That Jinx accepts the food makes Harley a happy clownette and she goes to sit on the bed, the tray between them. "A bad person? Why on earth ya think I'd be heah to tell you that.." then she gives it a thought, "Though I mean, I do like some nastiness... if ya know what I mean." wink wink nudge nudge.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx picks up a slice of the pizza and takes a bite. It's colder now, not quite as appetising but still deliciously cheesy. So many unnecessary carbs. This is officially blasphemy now. Jinx looks defeated though, exhausted perhaps. Perhaps she was even crying recently.

"You helped them get back from space?," she sounds surprised. A small laugh of amusement, "Yeah well thanks to an asshole named Doctor Light, I helped attack the Titan's Tower while they were away. Yippee me. Some of them aren't over it."

She present the middle finger to the open doorway even though there's no one there. "But hey, this is their house. I know I'm not welcome here. This is just a temporary thing anyway - till HIVE leaves me alone. Then I split."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Doctor Light? What kinda stupid name is that?" So much for Harley not being a judgemental clownette! But maybe she is just selective on her judging. She takes a slice as well and chomps down on it. "Mmmmm, so goooood." it's clear Harley is all about blasphemy eating. Sin is in her DNA!

"And sorta. I was more their moral support and keepin' some of them up that were taking it badly." Ever the psychologist this one! "It still doesn't answer my question though, on why you think I'd believe you a bad person. What would that make me? Something something don't throw stones if your house has a glass roof?" there's a saying there somewhere.

"One thing I can tell ya is that the Titans are like a family. And they help those in need, prolly moouh than I could do considering we awhe talkin' about frankendjinn's now.." With which Harley was particularly ineffective against!

Jinx has posed:
Jinx smiles a little more, "Yeah. It is a pretty stupid name." She stares forward for a while and then takes another bite of the pizza. "You've been psycho-analysing me since we met haven't you. It's fine. I know I'm fucked up," she states defeatedly.

"I'm a Supervillain Harley. Well, I was. I mean, I guess I still am. All the warrants out for my arrest would say so. I used to lead a team called the Fearsome Five. Stupid name, there were more than five of us. But really there were only two of us with brains. Me and Psimon and Psimon is a complete psychopath. But, hey, I guess we all are."

She shrugs her shoulders, "So I guess I am a bad person. You know? I did all those things they say about us in the papers. Hell, it was even fun sometimes. But I was still just a bloody puppet on a string. She takes another bite. Reaching over to a small pot plant by the side of her bed, she dips her free hand in to the soil mix and then with a flick of her wrist, wind swirls forth and blows the door shut with a thunk.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I knew theah was moouh to you than meets the eye." Harley raising her shoulders in a shrug before finishing devouring the first slice, "Needs a little banana ..." who the heck eats banana on pizza?! "But if you asking if I got some hidden agenda of gettin' you to justice, or to the Titans, not really.." she admits, "I am just happy to be your friend." note the present tense!

"I am still feared out in Gotham. I did some real nasty things, and not just because of Mistah J. Would be easy to blame him for all my woes, but that isn't right. I -did- those things, and I wanted to do 'em." her expression taking a more grim, serious touch to it. She brushes some hair from her eyes and brings her feet up on the bed after her sneakers are off. "And that's shit I gotta live with. As you will have to. But doesn't mean that's all you are." her smile returning, "Or I wouldn't be yoh friend."

Then a pause. A blink. "Hol' up. The Fearsome Five aren't only five?!" Harley's mind is blown. "What kind of joke amateurs name those groups?!"

Jinx has posed:
Jinx puffs out her cheeks, "It's all gone bollocks. All of it." She finishes off the slice of pizza and looks at Harley making herself more comfortable. "Ever since I was a teenager I've had the worst luck. I figured out I could pass that on to other people and then things started getting better. So I kind of justified it yeah. May be they deserved the bad luck 'cause I sure as shit didn't."

She buries her face in her hands and holds her forehead. "But since I ran away I've been trying to do the right thing and not jinx people. And now all that bad luck is just coming back at me again. Werewolves and frankendjinns and that jerk who made us sing and dance on the trip to the world cup. Hell, you're kinda great but you're literally a bounty hunter. A bounty hunter gave me a lift randomly. Do you have any idea how big my bounty is in the USA?"

It's big. She's in the top 20 most wanted list for the country after all. She hmms, "Yeah well the jokers who named the group are this shady cult of nutters who want to take over the world and the worst part is - they're probably going to succeed. Bloody HIVE."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I mean, the singin' was fun. I sorta enjoyed it." Harley's expression takes on a fond look when she thinks about that, "And we showed that guy we weah the best singers in the block.." she wiggle-wiggles on the bed until she isn't that far from Jinx. Then gives her a bump with her elbow.

Without the super strength!

"You know, the Titans got karaoke night, should join 'em sometime. Oooor I know this place we can go ..., I was banned from theah because I blew up all the windows this one time to save 'em from a shadow monster. But it should be fine now."

With Jinx? She expects at LEAST two shadow monsters.

"I don't care how big your bounty is, Jinx-y." Her arm goes around the other gal and she squeezes her, "I don't sell out my buddies. Besides, we still got our reality show to get done." Kevin Bacon vouched for them!

She finally smiles, "Maybe you deserve some good luck comin' your way this time around, mmm?"

Jinx has posed:
"Yeah.. may be a little fun," Jinx says and scrunches up her nose at the memory of the songs. Besides, it made a long flight there really short and she made some money out of the whole trip to boot. Not too shabby. She rocks on the bed when she's elbowed, perhaps hamming it up a little bit.

"You're trying to cheer me up," she says observantly. It's working because she's known Harley for weeks now and may be she did think the worst for a bit there, but then may be Harley really is just that good of a friend. Not wanting anything, not manipulating for an angle. It's a weird concept.

"You sure? it's like, $170 million or something a few months ago," she quizzes just to see how Harley reacts to that. "I'd understand if you did. I'd hate you for it, but I'd understand... and you know I can't go making a reality tv show when people are hunting me down with frankendjinn. Every police officer and bounty hunter in the country would be coming for me."

"I don't think I get good luck. It's my lot in life to be cursed forever with bad luck. I made my peace with that a long time ago now." She twists her lips, "It's just that Beast Boy, he's.. ugh. He just pushed my buttons is all."

"You know I'm basically a prisoner here right? if I don't play ball with them they send me to jail and if I go to jail I'm screwed ten ways to sunrise. I won't be able to fight a frankendjinn or whatever comes next from jail."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Do or do not, there is no try." Harley says in that sagely manner of an old Yoda when Jinx mentions she's trying to cheer her up. There is no trying where Harley is concerned! Also, nerd. "Look, I know wheah you awhe right now, and wheah you were. It's a messed up place to be and I only got through it because I had good friends keeping me up. So you can count on me to keep you up." then a beat, "Or down ..., you know, I am that good a friend." a wink.

170 million though?! "Ooooh, imagine how many taco trucks I could get with all that dough ..." A Harley taco truck franchise! "Let's go, you under arrest Missy!" then Jinx gets another elbowing.

"And I have an idea for our reality show ..." She grins, "Imagine this ..., A redemption arc where we go kickin' ass and taking names throughout America! We just need the right people to vouch for us ... But don't worry, I will find some..." oh yes, Harley has plans already.

"Beast Boy does that with everyone. Until you prove yourself to him. He's protective of his family heah, and any threat ..., well... he doesn't like 'em by default. He gave me a hard time too."

Jinx has posed:
Jinx looks at Harley kindly. Friends, plural. No, she's only got one friend right now and that's Harley herself. She rocks again with the elbowing and says, "It's more than enough money to bribe a city to rename a highway to anything you want."

But then she's talking about the reality show again and Jinx responds in kind, "You're really serious about this Kevin Bacon reality bounty hunting tv show? I mean it's not like he's done anything good lately. But, I guess his word is pretty good. And may be by the time we're done filming it I'll be safe from HIVE and can just leave."

"You know I'm not trying to be some hero or something right? I just want to get away from an abusive life. I'm sick of people telling me what to do. I'm sick of feeling so powerless and lashing out at people because I'm anger and frustrated and scared and tired. I just want some peace and quiet for a change."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Not just talkin' about Bacon." Harley shaking her head at Jinx, "But I got some CONNECTIONS." a conspiring wink. "You may have seen a few in that gala as well..." is she talking about Wonder Woman? Because she totally is. "This is gonna be rad... And hey, you don't go and diss a legend like Kevin Bacon or we ain't friends no moouh.." there are limits to friendship!

"Do you think I wanna be a hero?" She shakes her head, "Nah, I am no hero. I just wanna live my life.. I just want to ..." and she considers the word. ".. I just wanna feel normal you know? Or at least not seen as just some pitiable abused af clownette."

"Now, I can't promise you peace and quiet." It's Harley. There's no quiet when she's around. "Buuuuut, I can help with the rest." a squeeze of her arm around Jinx's shoulders. "Anyway, lets get done with this pizza. I brought Dawnson's creek reruns for us to watch. My usual partner ditched so you are stuck with it!"

Maybe it's punishment. Arrested in the Titan's tower and now having to watch some young adult show of the early 2000s.

Jinx has posed:
Jinx holds up her hands, "Whoa. Okay. Bacon is off limits. Understood." Apparently there's limits she must respect. But then suddenly Harley is confiding in her and damn, she can feel it in her chest. An arm goes around her one and only friend and she gives her a hug.

"Hey yeah. I guess you do understand. I guess when Impulse called me Lucky I just saw red but may be he wasn't saying it to be mean. I don't know. I'm not great at keeping a level headed perspective on things."

She stares blankly for a bit, "Dawson's creek?" She picks up another slice of pizza and starts on it, "Sure why not, let's lather on the pain today. Bring it."