1966/Harley Sessions: Ted Kord

Harley Sessions: Ted Kord
Date of Scene:	04 June 2020
Location:	April's Apartment
Synopsis:	Ted comes by to get a confidence injection from Dr. Quinn. He only has one cookie.
Cast of Characters:	Harley Quinn, Ted Kord

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Harley Quinn has posed:
Another call and another appointment setup with Dr Harley Quinn.

April's apartment is sort of becoming a hotbed for this kind of activity, but Harls is getting good at turning the small two bedroom above an antique store into a functional place to provide her unlicensed, but still very professional, therapy sessions. The lights are dimmed, Frank is hidden away in a closet, Ivy is told to stay upstairs on the roof with the jungle she's turned Rogue's small garden into.

The lampshades have been covered with a light orange cloth to cast off a comforting warm glow and there's a tray of assorted pastries set on the glass table infront of the two big chairs and comfortable couch. The big screen televisions is showing the camera feeds from outside so the Clown Princess of Therapy can see when her guest arrives, but she's hardly dressed for the profession:

Bright red tanktop and cut off shorts that end at just midthigh show off a range of tattooes from artistic to trashy and jailhouse. Pigtails up, make up on, she's chewing a hard nub of gum in her back teeth watching Air Bud while she waits for Ted to show.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord drops down from the Bug and after passing a wild roof jungle decides this must be the place. Brooklyn is strange. He taps gingerly on the window, hanging from his line. This is superhero related so using the Bug is sort of required. Plus the last time he was in a car it went splodey. He waits a moment and taps again louder. Maybe he should text. If there's no answer, maybe the rooftop jungle?

Harley Quinn has posed:
Harls glances back at the window, no stranger to strange callers in the night. It could be any one of a dozen different denizens of the superheroing world, afterall. Ninja Turtles, Vorpal... Heck even Power Girl sometimes uses the window when she's over to see Harley. With a little frown, mostly at the duplicate tappity tap tap, she jumps easily over the back of the couch and makes her way over to open said window.

"Not foah nothin', but theahs a door downstaihs.." Peeking out the alleyway side window to see if maybe someone moved a dump-truck in the way... then up at Ted, "I'm assume ya tha Blue Meanie oah whatevah? Tha one who text me about a session?"

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord steps onto the sill. "Apologies but finding parking for a twenty ton Beetle is not easy. I usually throw a line out and leave it in neutral. Yes I texted you and it's Blue /Beetle/. I'm not that mean at all." He extends a hand, "But you can call me Ted." Having said this he waits on the window ledge, a little awkwardly.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Ted tha Blue Beetle." Harley shakes the extended hand in her small, one could argue, dainty hand. She is not dainty. "Well I guess ya should't prolly come in unless ya wanna do this out heah on tha ledge." Introductions aside, she steps backwards into the apartment on bare feet. "I'm Ha'lee Quinn, by the way... theahs some pastries from Julios down tha street an' I got coffee oah I got some really great minute made lemonade.." Wiggly pointing at the refreshments. "Have a seat whereevah ya like."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord steps in. "No thank you, doctor. I'm fine," he says. The Beetle picks a chair and settles in with a sigh. He removes the goggles and the hood and is just a guy in blue spandex. He hits a button his glove and the line vanishes and the faint whirring of the Bug vanishes. "it is seriously tough to park around here. I guess my Bug will be okay though. "Huuuuuh."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"I don't know a whole lot'uh Brooklyn car jackah's who can fly." Harley agrees with a bobbing head nod as she settles into the other chair across the table, and all those patries, from Ted. Her legs are folded beneath her, arms resting together between them in her lap. "So, ya know how therapy wohks? Well it don't wohk like tha' heah. You jus' talk about whatevah ya want. It's a self guided therapy session, so staht wheahevah."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord rubs his head. "I miss my friends from the Justice League International. I miss Booster Gold. I have no idea where he is or when and he was my best friend ever. I miss Ice. I came out of a coma after Doomsday beat on me and Ice was dead, there was a new League that didn't want none of me, and... I feel like I'm just posing like a superhero. Especially given my origin. I feel like chucking this whole costume thing." He pours himself a cup of coffee.

He takes a sip, "I guess that's a start."

Harley Quinn has posed:
"That's definitely jumpin' in theah feet first, yeah." Harley agrees, watching Ted as he explains his particular situation, "So ya feel like a fake because ya got beat on by a supah weapon tha was able ta kill Supah man?" She wonders with her head tilting to one side, "Oah because all ya friends is somewheah ya can't find'em?" No overt words of sympathy from her.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord shakes his head. He reaches into his belt and removes a blue scarab fashioned of metal and lapis lazuli. "The first Blue Beetle died saving me. He gave me this, the source of his powers and asked me with his last breath to continue his legacy for him. One problem: the damned scarab won't work for me. Worthiness test? I don't know. So I trained and built my Bug, but... Doomsday nearly killing me kind of drove home the point... I was out of my League. Ha ha. I didn't matter. Batman... had nothing but contempt for me. I'm sure you're familiar with that. And now that I'm back where are my so-called friends in the super-hero community?" He shakes his head.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Do ya feel like yer contribution to tha heroin' cause is somehow void oah lessah because of Batmans approval?" Harley wonders with a thoughtful expression, leaning over flexibly to grab a pastry, nibbling at it as she discusses the situation Ted finds himself in. "A crisis of faith in ya own abilities is one thing, but is this really a community of suppoaht? Nine different supah hero teams, none of them wohkin' togethah, all of them thinkin' theah bettah than the othahs... I unno why ya even cahe what one dude thinks. Batman oah not."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord finally reaches for a pastry, a pine nut cookie. "I think he didn't approve of me because I didn't contribute anything to the team. I mostly flew the shuttle and stayed with the shuttle and did dumb assed stuff. I think he didn't want me to do any field work. I mean, he's Batman. He just about write the book on the vigilante act. But I had few fans on the team. Martian Manhunter, Guy Gardner pffft. I guess you're right though. Superheroes are jerks. But like I said... I don't think I was a good one, for what it's worth and I am thinking of walking away... which bothers me. I don't quit easily, but..." he says.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"If it bothahs ya, then ya don't wanna walk away... sounds like whatcha want is ta be accept't.." Harley considers that with her head tilt to one side, "My only real question is, how much has ya change't? Ah ya still wantin' to do nothin' an' hope the outcome is different oah ah ya ready to staht doin' stuff towahds what ya want outta this business?" Her hands comes up, one of them with a very designer, expensive looking, donut. "Batman use ta think I was a pretty big waste of space, but recently his opinion... well it aint change't, not entirely, but he aint thinkin' I'm a waste.. but I put in the effoht. Nothin' good is easy."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord finishes the cookie and says, "This is one reason I'm here. With your backstory, no offense, I figured you'd understand what I was talking about. And you're right... I haven't been doing things differently. I'm not sure if I can change my M.O. Maybe I should change my attitude?" His eyes widen a little as he processes what he just said.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Well, ya gotta change somethin'. Ya can't keep doin' the same ol thing expectin' different results... clinical definition of insanity." Harley points out with a shrug, not sheepish because she's entirely incapable of that, but ... accepting? "I aint like't tha way people look't at me, so I stop't doin tha things people look't at me tha way foah. Same holds true foah you. Wanna be a hero, do hero.. wanna be a rich guy, do tha'.. jus' find tha thing tha makes ya happy an' /do/ it."

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord nods slowly. He grabs the scarab and sticks it in his belt. "Maybe my predecessor used up the batteries on this thing, or it's a one shot item. You're right. You told me in one session what nobody told me since I started wearing blue... thanks," he says a little sheepishly. Then he pulls his goggles and hood back on and hits a control in his glove. "You're a good therapist. Can you hug the therapist?" he asks.

Harley Quinn has posed:
"Like whoo'ahs an' strippahs, theahs a no touchy policy." Harley jokes, grinning at Ted expressing that he's gotten something from the session, "I guess in this rare exception, I'll give ya a brief hug... but if ya get fresh, Imma break ya fuckin' ahm..." Warning laid down, the clown princess of brutal honesty slides out of her chair with her arms open.

Ted Kord has posed:
Ted Kord gives a brief hug. "Thanks doc! If you ever need a flight somewhere in a hurry, let me know!" Then he steps to the window and out grabbing the line that returned in the nick of time. The hoist yanks him up and he pauses a moment and says, "Oh! I am trying to help out young engineers, makers and the like. If you know anyone like that, point them at me. I'm not letting Stark get all the talent. BYE!" He shoots up out of sight.

Up in the Bug, Ted sits at the controls, with a smile for the first time in whenever. He grabs the stick and the Bug saors away, towards the East River.